Drawing A Picture Of Innocence With Technology
Proving innocence isn't easy when there's a lack of evidence, but an overabundance of suspicion. If you find yourself blamed for a crime you didn't commit and fear retribution from overactive law enforcement and legal tactics, remain calm and think about how you couldn't have committed the crime. Even if you were alone and without a witness to your evidence during the crime, consider a few ways that technology can help you draft a map of circumstances supporting your evidence.
Mobile Device Call Logging And Location
Most people in the digital world have a mobile device of some sort. Whether in the form of a smartphone or tablet computer, these devices allow flexible communications and fun activities on the go. Thankfully for you, they can keep some important information about where you are.
If you're accused of a crime, take careful note of when and where the crime occurred. If you were using your mobile device for placing calls or sending text messages, it's possible to link your activities to a particular place and time.
Calls are logged by their time and duration, which can be found on any bill. Along with that information is the area from which the call was placed. Depending on the phone company, your call placement can be recorded within the mile or at least the nearest cellular tower.
Such phone tracking can be done by either measuring the strength of your cell phone's signal to the nearest towers or by using the Global Position System (GPS). Even if you have GPS disabled on your phone, this setting only stops GPS use by specific applications--GPS is still on and available for emergency purposes unless you modify the phone using third party techniques.
By requesting your location information from the phone company or at least bringing up the idea to legal professionals, you can give a more accurate testament to your activities during the crime. It isn't a perfect defense, but in an absence of physical witness to an alibi it may save you.
Internet Access And Activity As An Alibi
Even if you're not actively making calls or sending texts, there may still be activity in the form of data usage. Mobile devices use cellular connections such as 3G or 4G to connect to the Internet, and many standard phone users have at least some sort of data update happening at any given time.
The activity may be in the form of updating social media message, refreshing email account messages or the actions of any other app on your phone, but unless you explicitly turn off data and go through great lengths to stop any sending or receiving of information, a trail can be created.
Even better, if you were in a video call with someone using data, you'll have both the background images and the located data usage to support your side of the story. If you need help piecing together the information or want a legal professional to present it in your defense, contact a criminal law services professional such as Gevirtz & Born.