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Cop Crashes Into Car While Watching Porn On Smartphone

Smartphone distracted cop crashes into car while watching porn.

Lars Daniel

Even those tasked with enforcing smartphone distracted driving laws can succumb to the temptation of distracted driving. A Lake County deputy in Florida resigned after an internal investigation revealed he crashed his patrol car while watching pornography on his phone. Initially, he claimed his brakes locked up, causing the crash. However, body camera footage contradicted his account, showing him steering with one hand while holding a phone displaying explicit content with the other. When questioned, the deputy eventually admitted to watching pornography at the time of the accident. Facing likely termination, he resigned, Vice reports.

Although the officer ultimately admitted to his actions, digital forensics experts could have recovered the evidence of the officer's distraction, even if there was no video evidence. Using modern cell phone forensic technology, experts can recover data that reveals detailed smartphone use in the moments leading up to a crash.

Smartphone App Activity and Usage Logs

Modern smartphones records of app activity, which can provide valuable insights into distracted driving incidents. A forensic analyst can uncover whether social media, messaging apps or navigation tools were active in the moments leading up to and just before a crash. These records often include precise timestamps that align app usage with the time of the incident.

For instance, if TikTok or Instagram was accessed, forensic tools can potentially reveal whether a video was being watched or the app was being scrolled. Such information can serve as compelling evidence to prove a driver was engaging with their phone instead of focusing on the road.

Smartphone Screen Interaction and Activity Data

Many devices monitor screen activity, capturing how long the screen was active and tracking interactions like taps, swipes, or gestures. A digital forensics expert can analyze this data to determine whether the driver was interacting with their device in the critical moments leading up to an accident. This analysis might show screen touches consistent with typing, scrolling or navigating an app. Even subtle actions, such as adjusting screen orientation or connecting a device to Bluetooth, leave traces that can be examined.

Smartphone Browsing History and Notifications

Smartphones also leave a trail of web activity and notifications. A forensic expert can uncover whether a driver was browsing the internet, reading articles or checking notifications just before the crash. Such data builds a case by showing how the driver's attention may have been diverted.

Forensic Recovery of Deleted Data From Smartphones

Even attempts to conceal phone usage by deleting messages, call logs, or app history often leave behind digital remnants. Advanced forensic tools can recover deleted data, such as text messages or images, and can also reveal evidence of intentional deletions. These traces are valuable in cases where individuals try to hide their behavior. For example, forensic tools might uncover that an app was uninstalled shortly after an incident, or that messages were erased moments before investigators accessed the device. Even without the original content, the act of deletion itself creates evidence and can indicate an effort to cover up distracted behavior.

Reconstructing The Distracted Driving Timeline

Digital forensics excels at piecing together a timeline of events from disparate data points. By combining phone activity logs, app timestamps, call records, and external evidence such as traffic data or witness statements, forensic experts create a detailed reconstruction of the moments leading up to an accident.

For example, a reconstruction might reveal that a driver opened a navigation app two minutes before a crash, sent a text message a minute later, and then scrolled social media just seconds before the impact. This layered evidence provides a clear narrative of distraction,

Digital Forensics: A Distracted Driving Deterrent

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, distracted driving claimed 3,308 lives in 2022, accounting for 8% of all traffic fatalities.

Law enforcement, insurance investigators and attorneys are increasingly rely on digital forensics to investigate trucking and vehicle accident incidents. I hope that knowing your smartphone can reveal the truth about your actions will act as a meaningful deterrent to engaging in distraction behind the wheel. If even trained law enforcement officers can succumb to distraction, it's a sobering example for all drivers.

N. Korea Launches Smartphone App For Medication Delivery Services

North Korea has launched a smartphone app called "Health 3.0" that allows users to order and receive home delivery of medication and health products, Daily NK has learned.

The app, which Daily NK recently obtained, advertises "free delivery services for medical items" to both mobile subscribers and non-subscribers, promising to "smoothly satisfy the people's demands for pharmaceuticals."

Notably, the app functions even without network connectivity. This appears to be an evolution of a system implemented during the 2022 COVID-19 pandemic, when residents could request medications by phone and receive home deliveries from soldiers.

"Users can download pharmaceutical lists from their preferred data service unit," the app explains. "Updated files can be exchanged via Bluetooth." While North Korean smartphones typically restrict file sharing due to security measures, these pharmaceutical lists seem to be exempt from such limitations.

The app incentivizes regular use by offering "special preferential services" tied to holidays and promising additional benefits based on cumulative purchase amounts.

The ordering process is straightforward: users add items to a cart, confirm order details, and specify delivery time, location, and payment method. Orders progress through application, receipt, delivery, and completion stages, with users able to track their delivery person's information. The presence of an optional prescription field suggests some medications may be available without a prescription.

The app's inventory spans medications, medical supplies and devices, health foods, children's products, sanitation supplies, medicinal herbs for traditional Korean medicine, and health-related industrial goods.

Analysis of the app's database reveals 243 different medications available, complete with pricing, usage instructions, precautions, efficacy information, and side effects. The selection ranges from common cold medicines and vitamins to specialized treatments for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.

Of the medicines listed, 141 are manufactured in India, 68 in Vietnam, 14 in Poland, and seven in Taiwan. Only eight are produced in North Korea.

Read in Korean

New Warning For Smartphone Users: Avoid Installing These Apps To Protect Your Financial Information

A new warning has been issued for smartphone users regarding the dangers of downloading certain apps. Users are being advised to avoid particular applications that can steal personal information and send it to hackers, potentially leading to significant fraud. This caution applies to both Android and iPhone users. The troublesome apps may appear legitimate, but once they're downloaded, they request critical permissions that allow them to access your private information.

FBI's warning

The FBI, America's security agency, has raised this alarm. On January 18, they reported that numerous bank accounts have been compromised due to these apps. Despite Google and Apple implementing various updates to bolster app policies, the FBI still urges users to exercise caution and avoid certain applications, labeling these threats as "Phantom Hacker." Scammers are infiltrating devices through these malicious apps.

Once they gather user information, the scammers often pose as bank representatives, claiming that an attempted breach has occurred on the user's account. In a panic, users may rush to transfer funds to a "secure" location, unknowingly falling into the scammers' trap. In addition to this, fraudsters often swindle individuals under the guise of providing technical support.

Don't download these apps

The security agency advises against downloading any apps via links received through WhatsApp or SMS. 

Steer clear of apps sent via email or APK files.

Avoid downloading apps from third-party stores.

Do not click on links redirected from social media platforms.

How to stay safe

To protect yourself, always verify the authenticity of an app before installation, something users often overlook. Research the app developer thoroughly and check ratings and reviews from other users before proceeding. 

When it comes to banking or financial apps, only download them by scanning the QR code from the official website of your financial institution. Beware that scammers frequently upload counterfeit apps on both Google and Apple's App Stores. Users, whether knowingly or unknowingly, may download these deceptive applications and inadvertently share their personal information with hackers.

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