How to Explain Deleted Data For Attorneys, Clients, Juries and More I was recently asked by a colleague for an analogy to help them explain how it was possible to recover data that a user had emptied from the Recycle Bin / Deleted. The question reminded me that it’s easy to slip into the belief that everyone inherently knows how stuff works. Attending forensic training and conferences we sometimes forget that what appears to us to be basic and simple, can sound like Star Trek Next Generation’s well known technobabble. i.e. “Increase the neutrino stream to the warp engine transducers”. Completing reviews of digital data and finding new artifacts can be exhilarating for a forensic investigator. The feeling of accomplishment at finding the truth from the data is euphoric. That is the fun part. The truly difficult part comes when we have to explain the information verbally and in written form so that it is useful to those that need it most. The recipients can include management, cl...