Reflecting on 2023 at CameraForensics

And with that, 2023 is almost at an end.

It’s been a year filled with exciting projects, new collaborations, and some great growth for us. We’ve continued our R&D efforts, grown our team and partnerships, and looked to close the knowledge gap between developers and law enforcement.

After such an eventful year, we thought that we’d take some time to reflect on the highlights and to explore how the landscape has continued to evolve.

Expanding our team and partnerships

One of the biggest moments for us in 2023 was our partnership with Onemi-Global Solutions.

Made up of a renowned group of law enforcement specialists ‘with unmatched expertise in global child exploitation’, Onemi have already been instrumental in expanding our insights by introducing a law enforcement perspective. As a result, we’ve been able to unlock a deeper understanding of the specific needs and mindsets of law enforcement investigators.

The CameraForensics team also continued to grow this year! With 30 years of law enforcement experience, Rob Chitham joined our team this year as our new Engagement Manager. Rob is responsible for expanding the use of our tools overseas, having already been responsible for its successful use in multiple investigations.

Embracing change and innovation

Encouraged by the fresh perspectives of our new partnerships and team members, we were able to take a new approach to our R&D projects and company direction. Stepping out of our comfort zone to pursue new ideas, we’re able to develop tools based on newly acquired law enforcement insights. We’re proud of this shift, and believe it has only served to enhance the experience of our users.

CameraForensics Connect: our first in-person event

One of the highlights of our year was hosting our inaugural in-person user summit, CameraForensics Connect.

Featuring keynote speeches from industry professionals, and facilitating breakout spaces that sparked innovative new ideas, the event opened our eyes to the diverse needs of our users. It also gave us a great chance to speak to users from multiple law enforcement backgrounds firsthand.

This newfound understanding has already influenced our software development priorities, prompting us to find better ways to communicate the full scope of possibilities available to our users.

Interested in joining us for CameraForensics Connect 2024? Register your interest for CF Connect 2024 today.

Announcing LinkForensics – our latest project

In 2023, we announced LinkForensics, a project born out of the UK Safety Tech Challenge.

Aiming to disrupt illegal and illicit content sharing, LinkForensics is our contribution to the nationwide effort to progress online child safety in the face of exploitation and abuse.

Deployed alongside other tools created through the Safety Tech challenge, LinkForensics evaluates a chain of link pathways, even if they’re hidden, to determine if they end in illicit imagery. If they do, the tool can then suggest the most relevant actions for intervention.

2023 and the rise of AI

This year, almost every industry experienced a significant shift with the rise of AI. Tools such as ChatGPT revolutionised text generation, while other tools like Stable Diffusion made image generation accessible and sophisticated.

This has already posed an immense challenge to investigators of illicit child abuse imagery. Not only is this imagery easier than ever to generate, but with the sheer volume out there, investigators must now discern which imagery is real and contains a subject in need of safeguarding.

We understand the need to address the challenges posed by this shift, and remain dedicated to understanding and staying ahead of emerging trends. Shaunagh’s insightful talk at CameraForensics Connect 2023 highlighted the challenges of stable diffusion, reaffirming our commitment to support investigators to navigate this evolving landscape.

In 2024, we’ll continue to research this new challenge in-depth to develop truly effective and valuable tools.

Looking Ahead to 2024

We can’t wait to continue supporting investigators as we set our sights on 2024. We already have a wide range of projects that we’re eager to get started on, including a revamped core search results page. Informed by the direct law enforcement knowledge gained this year, we’re working to simplify and enhance the search experience, making it more actionable and useful for our users.

What's more, our research in the CameraForensics lab continues to push the boundaries of what we can achieve in the world of image forensics. Lots more of this next year.

As we come to the end of 2023, we want to say thank you to all our partners, collaborators, and, most importantly, our users. Together, let's continue shaping a safer digital future.