Retrieving e-dating application artifacts from iphone backups

Abstract

Criminal activities are widely facilitated by online means; so are sex crimes. Online dating, also referred to as e-dating, enables people to get in touch with potential romantic partners through digital means. Unfortunately, sex criminals also exploit online dating platforms to find victims. Several e-dating applications have been developed for computers and mobile phones, but few, if any, efforts have focused on retrieving evidence from e-dating applications. This chapter describes forensic methods for retrieving evidence from two popular e-dating applications – Tinder and Coffee Meets Bagel – by examining iPhone backups created via iTunes on Windows and Macintosh personal computers.