NCJ Number
223780
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 10,12,14,16,18
Date Published
July 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article examines the benefits and challenges in the use of carrier data in the field of mobile forensics.
Abstract
In addition to cell phone device data revealing known associates and a repository of messages and images, there is another side to mobile forensics: service provider or carrier data. Carrier data includes call logs, undelivered messages, and tower data (showing a cell user’s location at the time of an incident). Carriers keep detailed call records of communications for billing purposes with records to include date, call length, whether the call was inbound or outbound, the tower’s number and location, and which antenna the call communicated with. Tower data reveals whether the device was in motion or stationary. Carrier data supplements and enhances device data with the potential to solve a case. This article discusses the evolution of cell phones in the realm of mobile forensics. It examines how service provider data fits into the larger mobile-evidence picture. With mobile forensics becoming increasingly important in criminal investigations, investigators need to be trained in how to preserve both the phone and the evidence inside.