On average, 1.8 billion images are uploaded and shared on the Internet every day. Unfortunately, Police Forces face additional pressures on resources due to the amount of illegal image and video content being seized from websites, social media platforms and computers.

FIA allows investigators to identify the camera or mobile phone that photographed an image with speed and accuracy, thereby reducing costs and closing investigations faster than previously achievable.

What does Forensic Image Analyser (FIA) do?

Forensic Image Analyser uses ‘Sensor Pattern Noise’ (SPN) to identify the originating device for a set of images. SPN is a unique identifier created by natural imperfections in the silicone chip, and different sensitivity of pixels to light, that allows identification of a specific digital device. The uniqueness of the imperfections makes SPN a robust fingerprint even allowing differentiation between devices of the same model.

Whether a camera, mobile/cell phone or scanner, FIA can detect if images were taken by a suspect device and is compatible with all the world’s digital cameras, 75% of mobile/cell phones including smartphones such as HTC, iPhone and Blackberry. In addition, FIA can also process images captured by new tablet technology.

FIA can be used to assist with the following investigations:

• Intellectual Property and Copyright Protection
• Proof of Ownership and Audit Trail of images
• Criminal and Terrorist Investigations
• Paedophile, child pornography and protection investigations
• Proof of sharing habits and patterns of behaviour for commercial purposes
• Sharing habits and patterns of behaviour for crime investigation and terrorist purposes
• Detection of networks for sharing images – commercial and legal (police and security)

Forensic Pathways would like to offer your police force a completely FREE trial of Forensic Image Analyser (FIA) for your review. Contact us to find out more.

Patented under European Patent Number 2396749

Is FIA for us?

Are you: responsible for police forensics investigations? A high tech crime unit? A forensics specialist?

• Automatic batch processing of digital images
• Identifies if an image or a number of images were taken by a suspected device
• Identifies which images in a set were taken by the same device and which were taken by other devices
• Saves time and money due to multiple images being processed
• Speeds up investigation by identifying source devices and linked images
• Processes digital images from any storage media including laptops, pen drives, cameras, mobile phones etc

If you answered YES to any of the above then FIA is for you. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your exclusive free trial.

So how will FIA help us?

FIA speeds up investigations and massively reduces cost. FIA can test thousands of images at the same time and discover if any of them were taken by the same device. If you have a camera, mobile phone or scanner you can discover if any of the images were taken by your suspect device or not. If you have a database of images FIA can process these regularly to test for links.

Scenario 1.

You have recovered a set of 1,000 images on a Laptop and recovered two cameras. You need to know if any of these images were taken by the cameras you have recovered.

Scenario 2.

You have a large database of digital images. You need to know if any of the images originated from the same camera but you have no suspect camera(s). FIA will group these images based upon the digital signature.

Patented under European Patent Number 2396749

Digital Signature Identification

Forensic Image Analyser uses ‘Sensor Pattern Noise’ (SPN) to identify the originating device for a set of images. SPN is a unique identifier created by natural imperfections in the silicone chip, and different sensitivity of pixels to light, that allows identification of a specific digital device.

The uniqueness of the imperfections makes SPN a robust fingerprint even allowing differentiation between devices of the same model.

Forensic Image Analyser (FIA) and the techniques it uses are protected by PCT Patent Application Number: PCT/GB2010/050247

Forensic Pathways was approached by Sussex Police for help in investigating the activities of Lee Mathews. The Company’s new technology ‘Forensic Image Analyser’ was used to identify that the digital images on Matthews Apple iPhone had been taken by that device, as opposed to being sent to it or copied. Matthews had until that point denied that the video on one of his phones which showed sexual activity with a child had been shot on that phone. Through the use of Forensic Image Analyser (FIA) Forensic Pathways was able to show that the videos had been created by Matthews on his iPhone.

“In using Forensic Image Analyser we were able to identify that the images on the device were indeed taken with that device and in so doing prevented a young child having to go through the additional trauma of giving evidence in court. The suspect pleaded guilty” (Richard Leary, Managing Director, Forensic Pathways Ltd.)

Detective Smith, Sussex Police Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team said ‘The assistance of Forensic Pathways was invaluable. We understand that this is the first-ever conviction obtained using this technology, which provides law enforcement with an extra option to help detect offences of any kind in which the source of digital imagery is an issue”

Lee Matthews, 32, Hailsham, appeared at Hove Crown Court on Tuesday 8 July and was sentenced to a total of 9 years imprisonment having admitted a series of child sex offences. Matthews was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was served with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).