Explainable digital forensics AI: Towards mitigating distrust in AI-based digital forensics analysis using interpretable models

The present level of skepticism expressed by courts, legal practitioners, and the general public over Artificial Intelligence (AI) based digital evidence extraction techniques has been observed, and understandably so. Concerns have been raised about closed-box AI models’ transparency and their suitability for use in digital evidence mining. While AI models are firmly rooted in mathematical, statistical, and computational theories, the argument has centered on their explainability and understandability, particularly in terms of how they arrive at certain conclusions. This paper examines the issues with closed-box models; the goals; and methods of explainability/interpretability. Most importantly, recommendations for interpretable AI-based digital forensics (DF) investigation are proposed

Digital Forensics AI: Evaluating, Standardizing and Optimizing Digital Evidence Mining Techniques

The impact of AI on numerous sectors of our society and its successes over the years indicate that it can assist in resolving a variety of complex digital forensics investigative problems. Forensics analysis can make use of machine learning models’ pattern detection and recognition capabilities to uncover hidden evidence in digital artifacts that would have been missed if conducted manually. Numerous works have proposed ways for applying AI to digital forensics; nevertheless, scepticism regarding the opacity of AI has impeded the domain’s adequate formalization and standardization. We present three critical instruments necessary for the development of sound machine-driven digital forensics methodologies in this paper. We cover various methods for evaluating, standardizing, and optimizing techniques applicable to artificial intelligence models used in digital forensics. Additionally, we describe several applications of these instruments in digital forensics, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses that may be critical to the methods’ admissibility in a judicial process

Cybercrime and Digital Forensics: Bridging the gap in Legislation, Investigation and Prosecution of Cybercrime in Nigeria

The advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) opens new avenues and ways for cybercriminals to commit crime. The primary goal of this paper is to raise awareness regarding gaps that exist with regards to Nigeria’s capabilities to adequately legislate, investigate and prosecute cases of cybercrimes. The major source of cybercrime legislation in Nigeria is an act of the National Assembly which is majorly a symbolic legislation rather than a full and active legislation. In perusing these avenues of inquiry, the authors seek to identify systemic impediments which hinder law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and investigators from properly carrying out their duties as expected

Empowerment of women in Nigeria’s small-scale fisheries: a tool to sustainability

In Nigeria, women play major roles of at least 75% in the fisheries and aquaculture value- chains from production, processing, storage, marketing and trade. Unlike the men, women have not received commensurate levels of attention and empowerment largely because their roles are perceived as ‘invisible’, poorly evaluated and undocumented without substantial sex-disaggregated data as proof. For these reasons above and in furtherance of identifying key areas in which empowerment needs to be strengthened thus closing the gender gap, this study was undertaken to contribute to information on the nature and empowerment of women and the factors influencing their participation in the small-scale fisheries. The study also aimed at determining relationship between the extent of the women’s empowerment and some selected determinants using a cumulative empowerment index (CEI). A mix of transdisciplinary, quantitative and qualitative methods was used for this study in Ikosi in Agbowa and Igboolomi fishing communities of Epe and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas of Lagos State respectively. Ten indicators of empowerment : contribution to household income, decision making ability, spending ability, ownership of assets, access to resources, membership in economic or social groups, time allocated to household, productive tasks and leisure activities, coping capacity to household shocks and political awareness were chosen for this purpose. Results obtained in this study showed that women are still very low in the CEI and it is hoped that this will pave way for a strategic framework for including gender –responsiveness in policies and developmental planning

Pattern of Iatrogenic Damage to Approximal Tooth Surface during Class II Cavity Preparation in a Clinically Simulated Environment

Background/Aim: Iatrogenic tooth damage is a well recognized and longstanding problem that appears to have refused to disappear from restorative clinical practice. This study was designed to determine the pattern of distribution of iatrogenic tooth surface damage caused by a cross section of dental students and residents during Class II cavity preparation in a clinical simulated environment.Methods: Residents rotating through the Department of Restorative Dentistry and randomly selected 1st year and final year dental undergraduates were told to prepare either mesio-occlusal or disto-occlusal Class II cavity on pre-selected normal upper plastic posterior tooth mounted on phantom head after obtaining inform consent. The type of preparation that is selected is based on the adjacent tooth surface that is intact. At the end, the location of the damage and the type (Groove; indentation; Scratches; Extensive) as described by Medeiros and Seddon (2000) was evaluated under a magnifying lens. Summary statistics was generated.Results: The frequency of iatrogenic tooth damage was 100% and “indentation” was the commonest pattern, followed by grooves. More damages occurred in the cervical area. Extensive damage formed 19.0% of the total damages and this type of damage was found more adjacent to MO cavity (25.0%) compare to DO (15.4%) but there was no difference between the extensive damage that occurred on the right and left sides.Conclusion: The frequency of iatrogenic tooth damage was 100% and indentation was the commonest pattern. Extensive type of damage was found more adjacent to MO cavity.Keywords: Iatrogenic tooth damage, approximal tooth surface, Class II cavit