When people think about mobile devices and criminal charges, they often think about how their personal devices could be a treasure trove of evidence for the police. Most people have a lock on their phones to prevent unwanted access, and some people even use special apps to remove obvious records of what they do online.
The contents of your smartphone could absolutely play a role in your criminal trial. Your sense of humor on social media or the conversations that you have with family members via text message could make it look like you committed some sort of crime. People frequently worry about when the police can search their devices and how to protect themselves from invasions of their privacy.
Fewer people realize that their phones can actually help them respond to their criminal charges. Having an alibi that places you somewhere else at the time a specific crime occurred could play a major role in your defense strategy. There are two different ways in which your mobile device could help you produce a workable alibi.
Your location data could help
Police officers are frequently capable of ruling out specific suspects because they use their phones right before, during or after a criminal incident. If someone was on the other side of town posting a video to a social media platform at the time of a robbery, that will typically remove them from the list of potential suspects.
Securing the location data records from your device or the data information for specific apps that you use could play a crucial role in your criminal defense strategy.
Pictures and videos could help
Maybe you aren’t someone who frequently talks to other people on the phone or uses social media much, but you do frequently take pictures or record videos of what you experience. Every photograph and video that you capture includes location information that could potentially help you establish your location as somewhere far from the scene of a criminal incident.
It can be hard to determine the most effective defense strategy when you find yourself facing criminal charges. You likely aren’t in a position to objectively analyze your own situation or to argue your case in criminal court. Getting the right support can make all the difference when you find yourself accused of committing a crime.
