WhatsApp has become a powerful communication app which is used by many to also take photographs which are immediately sent out to groups or contacts at minimum effort. No doubt this is a great feature and very useful for the users.
However, I observe that there is a practical issue connected with the camera function which could render it an instrument of “Manipulation of Digital Evidence”.
If one uses the WhatsApp camera button and clicks a photograph with the front camera, then the image is stored with a lateral inversion. An example is shown below.
The problem occurs when a person takes an action picture such as one writing a letter with his right hand. The picture may show that the person is writing with his left hand. At first glance therefore the person would appear to be a leftie. This could vitiate immediate evidentiary value of the photograph and adds a new dimension to accepting such photographs as digital evidence.
This is a technical bug which should be corrected by WhatsApp by introducing an automated operation to recognize that a picture is being taken with the front camera and immediately make a lateral inversion of the picture before it is stored in the application and forwarded to the addressee.
Naavi
