Multimedia Distribution Process Tracking for Android and iOS

TL;DR

This study develops a forensic method to trace the distribution of images and videos through popular instant messengers on Android and iOS, aiding criminal investigations by analyzing media information changes.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel forensic approach to identify the specific messenger used for media distribution by analyzing transmitted media on smartphones.

Findings

Successful identification of messenger used for media distribution.

Ability to trace media footprints across multiple messaging platforms.

Effective analysis on both Android and iOS devices.

Abstract

The crime of illegally filming and distributing images or videos worldwide is increasing day by day. With the increasing penetration rate of smartphones, there has been a rise in crimes involving secretly taking pictures of people's bodies and distributing them through messengers. However, little research has been done on these related issue. The crime of distributing media using the world's popular messengers, WhatsApp and Telegram, is continuously increasing. It is also common to see criminals distributing illegal footage through various messengers to avoid being caught in the investigation network. As these crimes increase, there will continue to be a need for professional investigative personnel, and the time required for criminal investigations will continue to increase. In this paper, we propose a multimedia forensic method for tracking footprints by checking the media information that changes when images and videos shot with a smartphone are transmitted through instant messengers. We have selected 11 of the world's most popular instant messengers and two secure messengers. In addition, we selected the most widely used Android and iOS operating systems for smartphones. Through this study, we were able to confirm that it is possible to trace footprints related to the distribution of instant messengers by analyzing transmitted images and videos. Thus, it was possible to determine which messengers were used to distribute the video when it was transmitted through multiple messengers.