digital forensics

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Verdict In on Whether Lee Harvey Oswald Pic Is a Fake

3D imaging by Dartmouth scientists shows backyard photo is for real

(Newser) - For decades, conspiracy theorists have claimed the famous "backyard photo" of Lee Harvey Oswald, which shows him holding the same type of rifle used to assassinate JFK, is a fake—a claim that Oswald himself made when he was arrested. But thanks to a scientist who has studied this...

Criminals, Your iPhone Is Spying on You

Police can get all kinds of data off the device

(Newser) - If you’re planning on committing a heist any time soon, you’ll probably want to avoid the iPhone. An entire field of forensic study is cropping up around the device, both because it’s so popular, and because it records a wealth of information about the person using it....

Feds Update Bin Laden Mug
 Feds Update Bin Laden Mug 
Jan 14, 2010 8:50 PM CST

Feds Update Bin Laden Mug

Digital effects used to make 'aged progressed' pics

(Newser) - Using digital technology, the FBI has a new idea of what Osama bin Laden might look like today. The “aged progressed” images show the 52-year-old al-Qaeda chief—dressed in both Western and tradition Arab styles—grayer, with more wrinkles and facial lines. One thing that’s the same: the...

Cyberstupid Craigslist Killer Left Virtual Trail: Cops

Suspect's email to murder victim led detectives to his door

(Newser) - Alleged Craigslist killer Philip Markoff may have used the Internet to plan his crimes but his lack of tech savvy led detectives straight to him, the Boston Herald reports. A single email Markoff sent to murder victim Julissa Brisman was swiftly tracked to his home address, where detectives recognized Markoff...

Move Over, Police Sketches: DNA's On the Case

Forensic phenotyping works, but is it ethical?

(Newser) - The old-fashioned police sketch could soon be obsolete, the Wall Street Journal reports, thanks to DNA forensic phenotyping, an increasingly popular technique that uses crime-scene DNA to describe a suspect. So far, labs can only determine details such as ethnicity and physical traits, but that alone has helped in some...

R. Kelly Case Obsesses Over Mole

Witnesses battle over mark seen in video

(Newser) - The R. Kelly jury was treated to a short course in video doctoring yesterday, as the rapper's defense team worked to discredit the tape prosecutors say shows him having sex with a very underage girl. The issue is the now-infamous R. Kelly mole the defense says isn't there in the...

Experts Work to Create Ways to Identify Altered Photos

New tools can sniff out fakes

(Newser) - As photo doctoring grows ever more sophisticated—and common—so does the art of “digital forensics,” or identifying fakes. Lighting is among the most tell-tale signs of a photo that’s been altered, reports Technology Review, because it’s hard to get it consistent. Still, current tools are...

7 Stories