Strengthening Investigative Capacity in a Digital Age

On April 10th, 2025, the Center for Law and Innovation hosted a training session on Advanced Online Investigation Techniques led by Ms. Seana Holland, Director of Investigation at Levy Firestone Muse. With over 30 participants joining both in person and virtually, this session brought together legal professionals, researchers, and law students eager to sharpen their investigation skills. Ms. Holland, drawing on her extensive U.S. litigation and public defense experience, delivered a deeply insightful and practical training that left a lasting impact.

Participants explored cutting-edge techniques for leveraging social media, open-source tools, reverse image searches, and metadata analysis to uncover crucial information in complex investigations. Ms. Holland emphasized the urgency and time-sensitivity of digital evidence, from disappearing posts to bot detection, and guided the audience through best practices in authenticating online data. Her expertise shed light on ethical dilemmas, digital footprints, and the growing opportunities and challenges posed by AI-generated misinformation, deepfakes, and fake messaging apps.

This training demonstrated the vital role of cross-sector collaboration in building Africa’s capacity for modern, ethical investigation practices. We extend our deep gratitude to Ms. Holland for her generous contribution and invite stakeholders passionate about justice, technology, and public interest law to collaborate with us on future trainings. Stay tuned, the conversation is just beginning.

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