Forensic analysis: CMP’s Planned Parenthood videos aren’t doctored

By The Iowa Statesman

 

A new forensic analysis of the Center of Medical Progress’ videos showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of body parts from aborted babies reinforces the organization’s claims that there is nothing “doctored” about them.

An excerpt from the forensic report follows:

In September, 2015, CGS, the prime contractor on behalf of Alliance Defending Freedom, engaged Coalfire Systems, Inc., the sub-contractor (hereinafter “Coalfire”) to conduct a computer forensics analysis of certain raw video and audio data files. Coalfire’s objectives for this project are to:

• Forensically evaluate video and audio files provided by The Center for Medical Progress (“the Organization”) through CGS (“raw” video and audio), and determine whether the raw video or audio content of the files have been edited or otherwise altered;
• Compare the raw video and audio to certain files posted to YouTube (“Full Footage” videos and a “Supplemental” video) for the purpose of determining inconsistencies between the files.

The scope of Coalfire’s analysis did not cover or include:

• Validation of those individuals depicted in the video or audio, who recorded the video and audio files, the location where they were recorded, when they were recorded, or the purpose of the recordings;
• Providing an opinion on the chain of custody prior to receipt of source materials by Coalfire;
• Coalfire’s analysis was limited to only the source materials received from the Organization and did not include interviews of participants in the videos or audio. A flash drive containing recorded media was received via FedEx by Coalfire on September 17th, 2015, where it was examined using industry-standard forensic tools and techniques. The flash drive contained:

1. a total of ten (10) videos with audio recorded on two (2) separate devices, and
2. a total of eight (8) audio recordings made with two (2) audio-only devices.

Coalfire’s analysis of the recorded media files contained on the flash drive indicates that the video recordings are authentic and show no evidence of manipulation or editing. This conclusion is supported by the consistency of the video file date and time stamps, the video timecode, as well as the folder and file naming scheme. The uniformity between the footage from the cameras from the two Investigators also support the evidence that the video recordings are authentic.

With regard to the “Full Footage” YouTube videos released by the Organization, edits made to these videos were applied to eliminate non-pertinent footage, including “commuting,” “waiting,” “adjusting recording equipment,” “meals,” or “restroom breaks,” lacking pertinent conversation. Any discrepancies in the chronology of the timecodes are consistent with the intentional removal of this non-pertinent footage as described in this report.

Furthermore, four of the five raw video recordings, which also contained audio captured from the video recording device, are accompanied by a raw audio recording captured from a separate audio-only recording device. The raw audio-only recordings last for the duration of their associated raw videos. These raw audio recordings support the completeness and authenticity of the raw video recordings since they depict the same events within the same duration as captured from the two separate video recorders.