Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among teenagers and young adults. Its key feature – disappearing messages and photos – makes it appealing for sharing quick, informal, and often intimate communications. However, this ephemeral nature also makes Snapchat an attractive tool for criminal activity. As Snapchat has grown, police have had to develop procedures and techniques to investigate criminal use of the app.
Getting a Search Warrant
The primary way law enforcement accesses Snapchat content and data is through a search warrant. Police must demonstrate probable cause that evidence related to a crime will be found in a specific Snapchat account. This requires:
- Identifying the specific Snapchat username for the account.
- Explaining why police believe that account contains evidence of a crime.
- Specifying what type of data police are seeking from Snapchat (photos, videos, messages, geolocation data, etc.).
Police submit this affidavit to a judge, who then issues a search warrant if probable cause is established. With a warrant in hand, police can then compel Snapchat to provide the requested account data.
What Data Can Snapchat Provide?
The type of data available depends on the nature of the crime being investigated. Some key categories of evidence Snapchat can provide with a warrant include:
- User information and metadata: Name, phone number, email, IP addresses, account creation date, friends list, etc.
- Sent/received snaps and messages: Videos, photos and text chats sent to and from the account being investigated.
- Geolocation data: Location tags where snaps/messages were sent from.
- Memories/stories: Photos and videos saved by the user to memories or posted to public stories.
Importantly, Snapchat cannot retrieve deleted or expired snaps, messages or stories – that content is gone forever. But any data that still exists on Snapchat’s servers can be obtained by police with a valid warrant.
Analyzing Snapchat Data
Once police have the Snapchat data, they use several techniques to analyze it for evidence:
- Examining images/videos for visual clues (landmarks, identifiable people, etc).
- Using geolocation stamps to identify where photos or messages originated.
- Analyzing user connections and social graphs to identify associates and networks.
- Reviewing message history and content to establish motives, relationships, plans, etc.
- Comparing Snapchat data to evidence from other sources (surveillance footage, cell phone records, co-conspirator statements, etc).
Experienced investigators familiar with social media forensics are needed to thoroughly parse through Snapchat data. The content is often short and informal, so critical evidence can be easily overlooked by someone unfamiliar with how Snapchat is used.
Challenges Investigating Snapchat
While a warrant gives police access to account data, Snapchat still poses some key investigation challenges:
- Ephemeral content – The disappearing nature of Snaps and stories means critical evidence may be gone before police identify a Snapchat account involved in a crime.
- No content backups – Snapchat does not store deleted content. So if users don’t save photos/videos locally, they are essentially deleted forever.
- User pseudonyms – Snapchat does not require real names. Users often create anonymous or pseudonymous accounts, making connecting them to real identities difficult.
- Encryption – End-to-end encryption makes it nearly impossible for police to access Snapchat content without direct access to the user’s device.
These factors mean Snapchat evidence is often limited compared to other platforms like Facebook or Instagram. But smart investigative methods can still uncover valuable evidence in Snapchat if law enforcement moves quickly enough with search warrants.
Undercover Snapchat Investigations
In addition to searching account data, police sometimes conduct undercover investigations on Snapchat. This involves creating fake Snapchat accounts and posing as teens or criminals to interact with suspects. The benefits include:
- Direct access to ephemeral content like Snaps and stories as they are posted.
- Opportunity to have extended conversations with suspects.
- Ability to build rapport and potentially solicit confessions or incriminating statements.
However, undercover operations require strict protocols and training to ensure they are conducted legally and ethically. Police must also follow special procedures before using undercover Snapchat accounts as the basis for probable cause in a criminal case.
Snapchat’s Law Enforcement Guide
Snapchat provides a law enforcement guide with instructions for requesting data:
- Police must email Snapchat from an official law enforcement email address (.gov or .org).
- The request must come with a valid search warrant or subpoena.
- Snapchat will not accept emergency data requests, only official legal process.
- Snapchat aims to respond to requests within 30 days.
- Information provided is limited to what is available on Snapchat’s servers.
Following this process and Snapchat’s policies facilitates efficient cooperation with law enforcement investigations.
Notable Cases Involving Snapchat Evidence
Some examples of major criminal cases where Snapchat provided key evidence:
Child Exploitation
Snapchat’s privacy and anonymity have unfortunately attracted some sex offenders. Police have successfully obtained Snapchat messages and photos sent by predators as evidence in child exploitation cases.
Drug Dealing
Snapchat has become a popular platform for drug dealing, especially among high school and college students. Several large-scale undercover operations have led to drug arrests based partly on evidence from Snapchat.
Threats and Harassment
The ephemeral nature of Snapchat has led some to use it for threats, bullying and harassment. Police have secured threatening Snaps and been able to identify culprits through account information and geolocation data.
Gang Violence
Gangs often use social media to communicate and coordinate criminal activity. Snapchat has provided useful intelligence in gang investigations, including implicating gang members through account links, inculpatory statements on Snapchat, and coordinating violent incidents using the app.
Digital Forensics Tools for Snapchat
To aid Snapchat investigations, law enforcement uses digital forensics tools designed to preserve and analyze evidence from mobile devices. Some examples include:
| Tool | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Oxygen Forensic Detective | Extracts deleted Snapchat data from Android and iOS devices, including cached media. |
| Elcomsoft Snapchat Parser | Cracks password-protected Snapchat backups and extracts saved Snapchat data. |
| Magnet AXIOM | Recovers Snapchat artifacts and performs link analysis between multiple accounts. |
| Cellebrite UFED | Extracts live and deleted Snapchat data from mobile devices. |
These tools give investigators deeper access to Snapchat evidence that may not be available through the app alone. They can recover artifacts deleted from phones and circumvent limitations on Snapchat’s server-stored data.
Conclusion
Snapchat presents unique challenges for law enforcement given its disappearing content, encryption, and anonymity. However, through warrants and good investigative work, police are often able to obtain useful evidence from the app. Dedicated digital forensics tools also enable deeper access to Snapchat data from mobile devices. As Snapchat continues growing in popularity, police must keep innovating their approaches to meet the investigative demands posed by this ephemeral messaging app.