The Use of NSA Intelligence in Criminal Prosecutions: Legality and Limitations

The National Security Agency (NSA) has been involved in various surveillance programs over the years, some of which have involved monitoring of US citizens. Here is an outline of some of the more well-known programs: PRISM: This program, which began in 2007, involved the collection of data from major technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, […]

The Legal and Ethical Implications of Retrieving Location Information from Cell Phones: Cellebrite and Oxygen Forensic Detective, Stringrays to Co-traveler

Cell phone forensic analysis has become an increasingly important tool in criminal investigations. With the widespread use of cell phones, these devices often contain valuable information that can be critical to a criminal investigation. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of cell phone forensic analysis and how it is used in criminal […]

Spyware/Malware and the Fourth Amendment: How The Government Wants to Spy on Your Online Activities

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to privacy and protects against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. However, in recent years, there has been a debate over the legality of law enforcement activities such as remotely installing spyware or malware on to computers without a warrant or consent. The […]

The Cat-and-Mouse Game of Digital Privacy: How Law Enforcement Can Access Your WhatsApp Communications

In recent years, messaging apps such as WhatsApp have become increasingly popular due to their end-to-end encryption and promise of privacy. However, law enforcement agencies have developed methods to penetrate these supposedly secure messaging apps and access their contents in criminal investigations. One method used by law enforcement to access encrypted messaging app communications is […]

Balancing Privacy and Public Safety: The Role of 23andMe’s DNA Database in Criminal Investigations

In recent years, law enforcement agencies have increasingly turned to third-party DNA companies, such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA, to help identify perpetrators of crimes. Law enforcement agencies have increasingly turned to third-party DNA companies, such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA, to help identify perpetrators of crimes because of the potential for genetic genealogy to provide new […]