Recap from the Masters Conference New York | Right Discovery Staff Writer
Mobile data isn’t just blowing up our phones—it’s blowing up eDiscovery. At the Masters Conference New York, a powerhouse panel—Andy Jacobs and Eric Seggebruch (Cellebrite), Richard Clark (CloudNine), and Rob Fried (Sandline Global)—took the stage for the session: The Mobile Data Deluge: How to Tackle it for eDiscovery, to break down the tidal wave of mobile evidence and how to keep from drowning in it.
From SMS to Snapchat—The Data Never Stops
“Everyone texts. Everyone uses apps. And guess what? They all end up in discovery,” Andy Jacobs quipped as he opened the conversation. Whether it’s Signal, WhatsApp, Snapchat, or the latest encrypted platform, legal teams are now tasked with wrangling terabytes of messy, cross-channel conversations. The challenge? You don’t just need data—you need defensible data that can hold up in court.
Collect Smarter, Not Harder
Rob Fried made it clear: “Do we really need everything, or do we just need what matters?” The panel stressed the importance of scoping collections—targeting the right data sources instead of blindly scooping up entire 256GB iPhones. Richard Clark noted that storing “just in case” data may seem safe, but it can backfire when irrelevant information sneaks into scope. Lesson: narrow with purpose, but don’t miss the obvious.
Encrypted & Deleted—The New Normal
If you thought deleted texts were gone forever, think again. But temper your expectations. “Just because you have a full file system doesn’t mean you’ll magically recover deleted items,” Fried cautioned. Encryption and app updates add yet another layer of complexity. As Eric Seggebruch put it, “It’s a cat-and-mouse game—every OS update changes the rules.”
Cross-App Conversations = A Hot Mess
One of the spiciest challenges? Conversations that hopscotch between platforms. An employee might start in email, jump to Teams, and finish on WhatsApp. Clark explained how CloudNine’s approach stitches together these threads: “Instead of siloed reviews, we present data in chronological order, so the whole conversation is visible—context included.” In other words: no more piecing together a mystery novel with missing chapters.
Defensible, Always
The panelists hammered home a golden rule: defensibility isn’t optional. Jacobs reminded the room, “We’re all here to do collections that stand up in court. If Rob testifies, the judge should say, ‘Yep, that’s how it’s done.’” Translation: whether you’re pulling SMS or decrypting Signal, document every step like your career depends on it—because it might.
It’s Not Just Data, It’s People
For all the tech talk, the session had its human side too. The panelists shared sobering stories of cases involving tragic accidents, fraud, and social media harassment—where digital footprints provided critical closure. As Fried emphasized, “Phones aren’t just devices. They hold people’s lives.”
Looking Ahead
The data deluge isn’t slowing. From social media platforms to gaming apps with hidden chat features, custodians will keep inventing new headaches for investigators. As Seggebruch said, “Every update is a new challenge, and sometimes you only have one hour with that device—so you better get it right.”
Key Learnings:
• Mobile data is now central to investigations—expect it in nearly every matter.
• Scope collections carefully: collect what you need, but don’t miss relevant data hiding in plain sight.
• Encrypted and deleted data require advanced approaches—there are no magic fixes.
• Cross-platform conversations demand tools that show the full story in context.
• Defensibility is everything—document every step like it will end up in court.
• Technology is key, but people and process remain the backbone of successful investigations.
Couldn’t make it to New York? Don’t worry—the next Masters Conference stop is around the corner, and trust us, you’ll want a front-row seat!
Right Discovery is proud to sponsor the Masters Conference and Masters Conference Legal Events, and a valued partner of Cellebrite—leaders in mobile data technology. From encrypted apps to deleted texts, Cellebrite’s solutions help legal teams collect, decode, and review the toughest sources of modern evidence without missing a beat. Together, we’re empowering investigators, law firms, and corporations to tackle the mobile data deluge with defensible, efficient strategies.