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What do you think is the most important factor affecting the collection of digital data and what impact do you think that this factor has on the ultimate quest for obtaining evidence in a criminal case?

Why is it important to look for Big Data and how could it be used in enhancing or finding evidence in a criminal or civil violation investigation?

After posting your original post, be sure to engage in discussion with your peers.

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First Post:

The form data is collected as evidence is extremely important and it is a current challenge of the legal system. It is imperative to collect data correctly so the data collected is not thrown out for mishandling. Cases where “misperception creates situations where evidence produced by new processes is challenged because the process or new forensic tool used in its recovery and analysis has not been validated to determine its fitness for use in forensic examinations (Boddington, 2016).” However, there are ways how big data evidence is becoming what makes or breaks a case. The legal system is leaning towards the evidence provided.

People are able to prove innocence if the evidence is showcased. There is a great documentary on Netflix called “Long Shot.” The show talks about how the cell phone pings were used to pinpoint the location of Juan Catalan, the man accused and possibly facing death row. But also, fortunately, he was at a game the day the murder was committed and was found on the TV show videotapes that placed him and his daughter in the stadium. “Amazingly, Catalan was cleared after his lawyer scoured the raw tapes of the episode and spotted him sitting in the very seat where he had claimed to be – pinpointing his exact position in a stadium that boasts a capacity of 56,000” (Reilly, 2017). This may not be an example of “Big Data” specifically but it does showcase how crucial data is becoming to the legal system. It is not perfect but at least there are ways to corroborate that the person was at the actual location they say they were. This proves how crucial data is. Imagine if the man was at home just a couple blocks from the scene of the crime, sadly he would possibly be on death row.

References

Boddington, R. (2016). Practical Digital Forensics. Packt Publishing.

Reilly, N. (2017, September 1). Netflix documentary reveals how ‘Curb your enthusiasm’ saved innocent man from the death penalty. NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.