A presentation to the San Diego Psych Law Society on the potential usefulness of computer forensics in assisting with mental health evaluations.

1. Impact of Technology
on Clinical Evaluations
Frederick S. Lane
San Diego Psych Law Society
27 March 2014
Cyberstalking, Cyberbullying, Sexting & Sextortion

2. Background and Expertise
• Attorney and Author of 7
Books
• Impact of Technology on
Law, Society & Privacy
• Computer Forensics
Expert and Consultant
• Numerous Lectures to
School Districts,
Administrators,Teachers,
PTOs & PTAs, and
Students
• 10 yrs on Burlington VT
School Board

3. Our Electronic Selves

4. 24 Hours of Internet
• On an average day on the Internet (as of 5/13):
• 2.4 billion people went online, including:
• 80% of the people in North America;
• The use of mobile devices to go online
doubled from the previous year;
• 144 billion emails were sent;
• Just under 3.3 billion Google searches were
conducted;
• 500 million people logged into Facebook;
• 175 million tweets were sent;
• 40 million photos were uploaded to
Instagram;
• 4 billion YouTube videos were watched.

5. The Dark Side
• Harm to Self
• Premature Sexualization
• Obsession / Ratification
• Sexting
• Harm to Others
• Cyberbullying
• Cyberharassment
• Cyberstalking
• Sextortion

6. The Electronic Self
• We Are What We Surf (At Least in Part)
• Digital Data Offers Powerful Insights
Into State of Mind, Motivation, and
Behavior
• Evidence May Be Direct:
• Emails, Files,Texts, Social Media
Posts & Tweets, Photos,Videos
• Or Inferential:
• Searches, Browsing History, File
Activity, Deletions, etc.

7. Digital Investigations
• Are Patient’s Devices Available for
Examination?
• Is Patient Willing to Provide Necessary
Log-ins and Passwords for Social
Media?
• Is Law Enforcement Involved?
• Are Other Persons Involved, and Are
They Potential Sources of Information?
• Is Computer Forensics Necessary?

8. Computer Forensics
• Preservation of Electronic Evidence
• Identification and Retrieval of Deleted
Files
• Organization and Analysis of Valid Files
(Particularly Timeline of Activity and
Metadata)
• Compilation of Internet Activity:
• Web Sites Visited
• Files Downloaded
• Searches Conducted
• Increasingly Time-Consuming and
Expensive

9. Investigation Obstacles
• Computer Forensics Is a Powerful Tool
But Not Omnipotent
• Inherent Ambiguities
• Data Recovery Can Be Hampered by:
• Physical Destruction;
• Effective Deletion; and
• Operating System Gremlins
• Third-Party Access to Social Media Is
Very Difficult
• Cloud Storage

10. Contact Information
• E-Mail:
• FSLane3@gmail.com
• Telephone:
• 802-318-4604
• Twitter
• @Cybertraps, @FSL3
• LinkedIn:
• www.linkedin.com/in/fredericklane/
• SlideShare.net
• www.slideshare.net/FSL3
Cybertraps.wordpress.com

11. Impact of Technology
on Clinical Evaluations
Frederick S. Lane
San Diego Psych Law Society
27 March 2014
Cyberstalking, Cyberbullying, Sexting & Sextortion