In recent years, cheap and easy-to-operate shooting equipment has become increasingly common, greatly increasing the possibility of video evidence generation. In addition to the rapid development of shooting equipment technology, powerful and simple video editing technology is also rapidly developing, which provides support for the prosperity of the Internet.
But in other words, this type of technology increases the potential risk of video evidence being tampered with, and all video evidence needs to be questioned for credibility and integrity, making it difficult for law enforcement personnel to authenticate video evidence. Law enforcement personnel and lawyers have to consider the best method of how to authenticate video evidence that will be accepted by the jury in court.
What is Video Evidence
Before we talk about how to authenticate video evidence, we should have acknowledged video evidence. Video is a visual source dynamically formed by multiple frames of video in sequence, which can effectively record the continuous action behavior of a certain time period and directly and effectively extract contextual information. According to records, the earliest application of video evidence was in an illegal gambling case in the UK in 1938. The video presented in court was shot by law enforcement officers and recorded the illegal gambling behavior of nearly 20 criminals on the streets.
According to the investigation, 98.8% of homicide cases after the 21st century have video evidence or the use of video as an investigative tool. It is possible to obtain a large amount of information through videos extracted at the crime scene or anywhere else, which can support or oppose the matters claimed and help witnesses, victims or suspect restore the truth. But before that, these videos needed to become authenticated video evidence and how to be presented in court.
What Videos Can Be As Evidence
How to make authenticated video evidence? We also need to learn about what kinds of videos can be considered video evidence. According to the Digital Evidence Guidelines issued by the United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs, video evidence that can be presented in court must meet certain legal and technical requirements:
Firstly, it is necessary to ensure that video evidence is searched and seized in accordance with compliant information and communication technologies. Law enforcement personnel need to verify the legitimate source of the video evidence, including search warrants, court orders or subpoenas, and the normative standards for extracting information and communication technologies. In addition, law enforcement personnel also need to provide evidence and a description of the relevance of the case to clarify the purpose of video evidence to the court.
Secondly, the court will review the procedures or tools used to extract, preserve, and analyze video evidence, as well as the technical qualifications of digital forensics analysts, to ensure the authenticity, completeness, and reliability of video evidence, these authenticated video evidence will only be accepted through court review. It is worth noting that the court places great importance on the technical specifications used in video forensics tools and the proof of compliance in the forensics process, which is considered an important basis for the reliability of video evidence. Once non-professional video forensics software tools are used for video forensics, it is highly likely that video evidence will be classified as unreliable evidence by the court, affecting the outcome of the case.
How to Authenticate Video Evidence
Compared with traditional evidence, video evidence has significant difficulties in identification, mainly due to the limited storage and transmission speed of video data, as well as its volatility and fragility, which can be easily rewritten or overwritten. Moreover, due to differences in shooting equipment and environments, the resolution and frames per second (FPS) of videos are also different, and some videos cannot be played using standard video tools.
Therefore, forensics experts usually use software called MTM Video Forensics to help authenticate video evidence. This software can better assist forensics experts in extracting, repairing, restoring, and analyzing video evidence.
Here are the easy 5 steps of how to authenticate video evidence:
Step 1: Select Video Authentication
Open the software and go to the left menu to find and choose the “Video Authentication” function.
Step 2: Connect and Scan
Insert the memory card of the removable device that needs to be extracted as prompted (e.g., CF, TF card, etc.). Then, select “Memory Card” from the pop-up window. The software will begin scanning and extracting all normal videos from the device, one by one.
Note: If “Memory Card” is not visible in the list, you can remove and reinsert the memory card, and wait for the software to refresh.
Step 3: Choose Videos to Authenticate
Once the scanning is complete, a list of extracted videos will be displayed. You can change the display format by clicking the switch button above. By checking or selecting all, you can choose the videos that you want to authenticate as evidence.
Step 4: Authenticate Video Evidence
Click on the “Authenticate” button and provide the necessary evidence authentication information. After clicking “OK“, the software will automatically calculate and verify the evidence to establish the authenticity of the video evidence, making it easier for subsequent analysis.
Step 5: Export Authenticated Video Evidence
Click on the “Export” button to package the selected video. At the same time, the software will generate and export an authentication report and an authentication data package. This ensures compliance certification and enables further analysis and judgment.
MTM-Video Forensics is indeed a powerful video forensics software that can help law enforcement personnel quickly extract video evidence, restore and repair damaged videos, and also assist forensics personnel in analyzing and making judgments. If interested, learn more with the brief introduction of the software below:
MTM-Video Forensics supports video extraction from different devices, including the ability to replay specified clips based on timestamps to assist in factual investigations. MTM – Video Forensics can quickly repair damaged videos that cannot be played. Restore critical video clips from intentionally damaged devices, mistakenly deleted, and cyclically recorded videos.
MTM-Video Forensics has functions such as color adjustment, decolorization repair, image denoising, distortion correction, blur repair, time concentration, directional filtering, color filtering, object filtering, and custom filtering to assist research and judgment.
MTM-Video Forensics is favored by law enforcement agencies in multiple countries worldwide as it is a video forensics tool that meets technical specifications and can be accepted by courts. The built-in screenshot and video export functions of MTM Video Forensics can save the “data in the state in which it was first discovered” faster, without tampering with the evidentiary value of the electronic data through technical, procedural, or interpretive errors through any technology or program, and add authenticity descriptions, Use hash value encryption algorithms to ensure that video evidence is not tampered with.
Challenges Faced by Video Forensics
Compared to twenty years ago, video forensics technology has become very sophisticated, but there are still some challenges.
Video quality issues. Closed-circuit television(CCTV) and mobile videos are the main sources of most video evidence, and the video sources captured by these devices may not necessarily meet the quality standards required for efficient analysis, making it difficult to identify details from low-quality videos. In addition, some shooting devices, in pursuit of faster operation speed, usually compress videos to facilitate the use of smaller files, which can lead to serious loss of video quality and even the possibility of file damage.
Video content issues. In video forensics, the angle and environment of the recording device can have an impact on the key content of the video, such as the presence of behavioral blind spots or the inability to see the video clearly in a dark environment. This type of problem often requires more professional deconstruction analysis. In addition, a large amount of video evidence analysis will bring an incalculable workload to the forensic analysis team, and time and human resources will become another challenge.
Conclusion
Video forensics involves processes such as extraction, preservation, analysis, and appraisal. Video evidence needs to undergo appraisal and authentication throughout the entire process to ensure its acceptability in court. Ultimately, all video evidence that is extracted using non-professional video forensics software tools or not in accordance with technical requirements will not be accepted by the court, which may affect the outcome of the case and ultimately exonerate the offender.
If you would like to learn more about how to authenticate video evidence and the features of MTM – Video Forensics, please feel free to contact us at any time.
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