Summary

In this chapter, we have discussed an online investigation. We have looked at undercover operations and how to create a persona that the online investigator can use. You never want to use your personal online identity to investigate. If the target of your investigation can determine your true identity and you have been using your personal online persona, you could put yourself in danger. We also looked at the various options that investigators can use to identify a subject to conduct background investigations. A person may have no digital footprint, but I would find that very unlikely. By using open-source information, you may be able to collect that data set without alerting the target. Finally, you will want to document all of your investigative endeavors.

You can do this by using screenshots, videos, and website capture. You should now be able to:

• Determine ways to collect personal information about an individual from online sources
• Determine how investigations...