Enabling ICAC Teams to Protect Children and Fight Exploitation with Detego’s DFIR Technology

Child abuse, exploitation and trafficking are some of the most appalling crimes committed in our society. Unfortunately, the problem is far more significant than most of us realize. In the fiscal year of 2020, the Homeland Security Investigations unit (HSI) arrested more than 3,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the distribution and production of illegal materials, and the trafficking of children.  

To date, the Internet Crime Against Children (ICAC) task force, has arrested more than 89,000 individuals since being founded in 1998, and each year, the Department of Homeland Security forensically examines more than 3,000 terabytes of data to help with exploitation cases. 

Recovering Data to Defend Children

The rising number of child abuse cases, ranging from sexual exploitation to the indecent use and production of images of children, is a serious problem. Unfortunately, the number of tools that criminals can use to store, create, and distribute content, or share plans with co-conspirators, is increasing. This makes it harder for investigators to access the information they need to build solid cases.

To address this problem, investigation teams need access to the right digital forensics technology for the collection of data and evidence. Investigators need to be able to extract data from laptops, computers, smart devices and more, without damaging the integrity of the investigation or the evidence gathered.

Few software programs allow for this extensive discovery process. Most commonly, investigators are forced to rely on disparate systems which cause data gaps, or they have to use systems that aren’t fit for purpose, resulting in longer investigation lead times, larger case logs, and even cases being closed due to the lack of compelling forensic evidence.

Detego’s digital forensics technology is built to empower investigators and legal teams to deep dive into the data repositories, apps and systems criminals could be using to hide crucial information about underhand activities – giving law enforcement teams the technology they need to take new steps in the fundamental reduction of child-focused crime.

Extensive Access to Crucial Forensic Evidence

When collecting accurate, comprehensive evidence is crucial to the protection of children, Detego ensures professionals don’t have to compromise. The leading all-in-one digital forensics platform enables the rapid collection of evidence from an incredible 15,000 branded and non-branded mobile devices, including burner phones. The system can easily bypass security keys and passwords which are often barriers for law enforcement professionals to secure evidence. Detego can also pull information from more than 2,000 mobile apps, including those commonly used by predators.

The all-in-one forensic ecosystem also addresses the rapid increase in the use of mobile devices for criminal evidence. Detego can rapidly pull up to 1 TB of data from a laptop, computer or server in less than 8 minutes, but it can also pull detailed information from drones, smart devices, sat-nav units, and devices enabled with IoT technology.

Access to disruptive technology provides law enforcement and investigation professionals with the additional support they need to put criminals behind bars. Detego’s AI-powered object detection tools can even automatically identify indecent images, search for specific terms or harness photo DNA matching to track victims in hidden data.

Perhaps most importantly of all, law enforcement groups are not limited to using Detego technology in the lab. As the investigation of criminal child exploitation takes law enforcement professionals all over the world, they need access to a system that can flex to suit their needs. The Detego field triage system therefore provides investigators with a simple solution capable of highlighting suspicious activity in any environment.

The red, amber, green patented alert system shows officers whether there are potential criminal activities hidden in digital devices so that officers can make more effective on-scene decisions.

Next Level Evidence Recovery

Detego’s flexible field triage and forensic data discovery tools can also combine with other essential technologies to equip teams in the modern age of criminal investigation. Detego Fusion can allow investigators to develop detailed intelligence pictures of cases, subjects and exhibits based on an advanced infrastructure of in-depth analytics. With this connection-tracking system, it’s possible to determine potential links between members in a child trafficking or exploitation ring just by analysing data on devices.

Detego Fusion immediately joins the dots between connections in cases to spot otherwise missable links and speed up the delivery of justice. Elsewhere, Detego Analyse ensures teams are fully prepared to create digital evidence and forensic intelligence pre-designed to suit courtroom guidelines. The Analyse system is equipped with custom, fully-automated analytical workflows, enabling in-depth forensic analysis, photo DNA and object detections in seconds.

Finally, law enforcement teams and investigators fighting against the horrific issue of child trafficking and exploitation can access the tools they need to bring criminals to justice.

Detego Global is offering ICAC investigators with a fully-functional, 30-day trial and special discounts on its Unified Investigations platform. Please visit www.detegoglobal.com for more information.  

About Detego Global

Detego Global are the creators of the Detego® Unified Forensics Platform, an end-to-end suite of modular digital forensics tools which are used globally by Military, Law Enforcement, Intelligence Agencies and Enterprise Organisations. With today’s investigators faced with an onslaught of digital devices and the corresponding mass of data that’s created, Detego® has become the go-to toolset to rapidly acquire, analyze and act on evidence and intelligence.

Detego Global is proud to employ the brightest software development talent, led and supported by a world-class senior management team from the Military, Law Enforcement, Government and Technology fields. The company is headquartered in Horsham, United Kingdom with additional offices in Washington, DC, USA, Dubai and Johannesburg, South Africa.