Mobile device discovery covers data held on phones and tablets, including SMS and MMS messages, messaging application content, photos, location history, call logs, and application data. Collection generally requires forensic tools and physical or authenticated access to the device.
The analysis is complicated where devices are personally owned, since possession, custody, or control and privacy interests both come into play.
Alternative Names:
Phone Discovery, Cell Phone Discovery
Why it Matters?
Text messages and messaging apps now carry the conversations that used to happen by email, which makes phones the location of the most candid evidence in many matters. Preservation is fragile because devices are replaced, upgraded, and wiped routinely, and because message retention settings often delete content automatically. Scoping mobile early is frequently the difference between having the key exchange and arguing about why it is missing.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Can a company be required to collect from employees' personal phones?
What is the biggest preservation risk with mobile devices?
