This proposal presents research, development, deployment and testing of data-mining and machine learning-based technology for email and instant messaging data, including attached documents and files, and allowing for a broad range of applications for criminal investigation (both evidence gathering and evidence analysis) by law enforcement agencies. This tool can be applied to email and/or account misuse, user behavior-based analyses such as detecting criminal groups using email and Instant Messaging accounts that communicate with one another, and for the purpose of detecting various roles of the individuals that communicate with each other, as well as the subject matter discussed and exchanged between parties or groups of corresponding parties. Such investigative activities are routinely performed today by law enforcement agencies for criminal intelligence gathering, evidence processing of subpoenaed electronic records and in the detection of stegonographic communications between suspect groups of criminals and terrorists. If successful, this research will substantially improve the productivity of forensic analysis personnel, and support evidence gathering and tracking.
