AES Show 2024 NY

Increasingly, civilian inhabitants and combatants in conflict areas use their mobile phones to record video and audio of armed attacks. These user-generated recordings (UGRs) often provide the only source of immediate information about armed conflicts because access by professional journalists is highly restricted. Audio forensic analysis of these UGRs can help document the circumstances and aftermath of war zone incidents, but consumer off-the-shelf recording devices are not designed for battlefield circumstances and sound levels, nor do the battlefield circumstances provide clear, noise-free audio. Moreover, as with any user-generated material that generally does not have a documented chain-of-custody, there are forensic concerns about authenticity, misinformation, and propaganda that must be considered. In this paper we present several case studies of UGRs from armed conflict areas and describe several methods to assess the quality and integrity of the recorded audio. We also include several recommendations for amateurs who make UGRs so that the recorded material is more easily authenticated and corroborated. Audio and video examples are presented.