Police scan fingerprints in WhatsApp photos to arrest drug dealers

The police then compared the fingerprint in the photo with the suspect’s fingerprint and found a perfect match, then expanded the scope of the investigation and eventually convicted another 10 people. In addition, after carefully checking the phone, which apparently had no password protection, the police found several messages indicating that the owner was involved in drug trafficking.

South Wales police now claim that checking evidence stored on the phone, such as texts and photos, is becoming a common practice, especially since most suspects own a mobile phone. Although the size and quality of the photos proved to be a challenge, it was enough to prove that these people were drug dealers.

Although checking phone data can actually help investigators, this is only possible if the device itself is not encrypted. Similar cases are currently at the heart of the years-long dispute in the United States. The FBI cannot extract information from mobile phones because they are protected by passwords. The FBI called for companies like Apple to help unlock these devices, but until now, all these requests have been quickly rejected by device manufacturers.

Source: BBC