Worried about Digital Evidence Tampering?

2marcus writes "As digital technology continues to improve and is used in more and more applications, the ease of tampering with digital files becomes more pertinent. This is especially important in the field of criminal justice, where even the appearance of possible impropriety can sway a jury. CNN has an article on the issues with digital photos being used for fingerprints and other forensics evidence."

maybe someone should write a book

[B3ryllium]

"How to commit the perfect murder, using Microsoft's debug.exe"

Someone has tampered with this article!

[heironymouscoward]

It was supposed to be about the upcoming Snorx/3.2 window manager! You can't trust any sources any more.

Seriously, this has been coming for a long time and there is plenty of material about the impact of a totally digital, totally manipulable reality in the SciFi archives.

It's a cycle anyhow. Eventually paper and touch will become valuable again because they mean something. Anyone want to buy a signed printout of this comment? Only $0.02!

I love it

[DarkHand]

Ahh, digital evidence tampering, where would I be without you! I was quite good a creating doctors office letterhead for getting out of school. :)

Forensic Analysis

[Anonymous Coward]

I always look at the created/modified date by right clicking the file in question. This proved handy when trying to track down the bastards responsible for deleting tables in my MS Access porn database.

Videos and photos

[lukewarmfusion]

We all know how convincing digitally altered photos or videos can be. I mean, what jury wouldn't be convinced that those dinosaurs in Jurassic park were real? They sure looked real to me.

personally

[Savatte]

I try to hide the evidence after I tamper with my digits. The hamper is a good hiding place.

Thank you. I'll be here till im modded down.

Easy Solution

[hazman]

Simply require all digital evidence to be encrypted. That way anybody who has a thought of tampering would have to consider the wrath of DMCA.

Nobody would tamper with digital evidence given THAT outcome.

DRM?

[onyxruby]

Have we finally found a legitimate use for DRM?

Personally, I think that...

[Anonymous Coward]

[This message has been deleted by the administrator]

Re:This shouldn't change anything

[Lord Kano]

There has always been the possibility that the evidence could have been tampered with before. Since it is digital this only makes it slightly easier to do.

Slightly? Right now, I can take a picture of myself and make it look like I'm drinking a beer with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush while we all sit around a table at a titty bar. This wasn't possible 30 years ago.

It shouldn't matter however because it is always based on the honesty of the law enforcement official to do what is right.

Law enforcement can not be trusted. They are people, and no matter what the occupation or field of employment a certain percentage of them will be corruptable. I am not willing to risk my freedom on the honesty of people that have already shown me that they are dishonest.

The OJ Simpson trial is something that people love to point to when talking about the failure of our criminal justice system, I point to that same trial to illustrate how police can not be trusted.

LK

Re:This shouldn't change anything

[Hagakure]

isn't that followed by...

"If Chewbacca lives on Endor YOU MUST ACQUIT!"

Your honor

[mustangsal66]

I would like to subimt this photo into evidence. It clearly shows Bert and Ernie as the true culprits behind this heinous act!

If the image don't fit you must acquit.

Obligatory Simpsons Quote

[Anonymous Coward]

Homer: Somebody had to take the babysitter home, then I noticed she was sitting on [edit] her sweet can [edit] so I grabbed [edit] her sweet can [edit] Ohhhh, just thinking about [edit] her can [edit] I just wish I had [edit] her sweet, sweet, s-s-s-sweet can.

Re:Only solution

[micromoog]

Your solution is entirely too concise, simple, and complete. Law enforcement will never go for it.

Re:It happened to me!

[Anonymous Coward]

What happened in the end? Did he get caught? Did you get expelled? Come on, man, finish the story!

The real thing

[SuperBanana]

Erm, the old Soviet Union (no jokes please) used to play these kinds of stunt all the time, adding people to pictures where they weren't there, and removing them when they were. Airbrushing and other techniques date back to Stalin, and probably earlier.

Actually, the KGB tended to prefer actually kidnapping you, drugging you, and actually sitting you down at a titty bar.

It's a lot easier than airbrushing someone out, and impossible to disprove(whereas the airbrushed photos were usually very obviously airbrushed).