The discipline involves the application of scientific methods to retrieve digital information from mobile devices, often smartphones. This process aims to recover data that may be deleted, hidden, or otherwise inaccessible through normal device operation. As an example, deleted text messages, call logs, photos, and application data can be extracted and analyzed using specialized tools and techniques.
The recovery of this type of information is crucial in legal investigations, providing potential evidence for criminal or civil proceedings. It allows investigators to reconstruct events, establish timelines, and identify connections between individuals. Historically, its development has paralleled the advancement of mobile technology, evolving from basic extraction of contact lists to complex analysis of encrypted data and application-specific files.