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SPECIAL REPORT The Value of Mobile Data in Criminal Investigations SUMMARY The best way to understand the power of mobile forensics technology is to see it in action. The following four examples underscore the value of mobile forensics technology, and allowed professionals to crack the cases without compromising stringent Constitutional requirements: MORE INFORMATION www.cellebrite.com The Cellebrite forensic sequence begins… THE VALUE OF MOBILE DATA IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS THE VALUE. CASE STUDIES ARE PROOF OF By Christa Miller T oday, carrying a smartphone is commonplace. According to Pew Research, 88 percent of American adults rely on cell phones to text, take photos, send e-mail, and access their social networks. What does this mean for law enforcement professionals? When it comes to uncovering, analyzing and submitting evidence in today's criminal investigations, mobile phones play a more critical role than ever in bringing criminal offenders to justice. Mobile forensics technology can assist law enforcement by enabling the most technologically advanced extraction, decoding, analysis and reporting of the 36 LAW and ORDER I June 2013 data found on a wide range of smartphones, legacy and feature phones, tablets and GPS devices. Much of the time, this can even include deleted and hidden data—often invaluable evidence in both civil and criminal proceedings. In addition to accessing data directly from a device (e.g. text message or e-mail), law enforcement can fnd value in the personal information stored within mobile applications. A 2013 Nielsen report indicated that the average smartphone user has approximately 41 apps stored on a single device. According to John Carney, Chief Technology Offcer at Carney Forensics, "The ability to extract critical data stored in apps will become the new measuring stick by which investigators gauge the superiority of mobile forensics tools."