Ride the Lightning
Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
How Big Data is Helping in the Boston Marathon Bombing Investigation
April 18, 2013
As much as I shudder at the privacy implications of Big Data, the assistance of Big Data in investigations like the Boston bombing is wonderful. Using all the video recordings taken from stationary cameras in the area of the bombings, along with still shots and video from spectators and the media, investigators can feed the data into massively linked computers which can sort faces, times and locations which will help investigators put together a timeline of the comings and goings on Boylston Street on April 15th.
They may look at data from blocks away or hours earlier or later. And all this is only the tip of the iceberg. They are doing traditional interviews as well, but in our digital era, digital forensics runs parallel to traditional investigative techniques.
I have not lost sight of the tragedy here, but it is impossible not be fascinated by the close-up glimpse we are being given of analytics techniques applied to Big Data and the use of digital forensics in general. Much as we once developed a CLE based on the digital trail which led to the Craigslist Killer, we may well develop a similar CLE based on the investigative work being done in Boston. In the meantime, we hope for a swift identification of whomever was responsible for this act of terror.
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