It’s (Not) Just A Text Message!”
Brief
January 1, 2026
“ It’s (Not) Just A Text Message! ”
" The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.”
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
Author’s Note: This article deals with a recently adjudicated case. The names and titles of the persons involved have been changed for discretion.
Text Messages: The Forensic Landscape
Of all the digital forensic bits and bytes we deal with on a routine basis, text messages top the list, surpassing even emails or documents.
To be clear, all of us deal with a large amount of all three (as well as photos/videos), but the ubiquity of mobile devices, their consistent use in business and personal applications, the ease of text message communication and the cross-over between digital forensics and e-discovery involvement with text messages in particular make texts a huge part of what we deal with daily.