MANIPULATION OF DIGITAL EVIDENCE BY THE INDONESIAN NATIONAL POLICE FORENSIC LABORATORY

The criminal case involving Jessica Wongso has unveiled the fragility of digital evidence integrity within Indonesia's criminal justice system. CCTV recordings, which should have served as objective evidence, were reprocessed using irrelevant software such as eRightSoft and Freemake by police digital forensic experts, namely Muhammad Nuh al-Azhar and Christopher Hariman Rianto. This practice resulted in technical alterations, including downscaling, recompression, and the loss of original metadata. Consequently, the recordings lost their validity as authentic evidence and produced far-reaching implications during the trial process.

The manipulated video was subsequently employed as the basis for analysis by psychologists, criminologists, criminal law experts, prosecutors, and judges. Interpretations of Jessica's nonverbal behavior became biased, criminological assessments were rendered defective, and legal constructions were built upon contaminated data. Even more concerning, the court accepted the footage without conducting authenticity tests in accordance with international standards. This not only compromised the probative value of the evidence but also undermined the principle of a fair trial.

This case serves as a critical lesson on how easily digital evidence can be manipulated and how devastating its consequences can be for justice. The integrity of evidence is the cornerstone of law. Without such integrity, the judicial process risks becoming an instrument of criminalization. Accordingly, this book seeks to reveal how digital evidence manipulation operates, its impact on forensic psychology, criminology, criminal law, and even public perception. It is hoped that readers will recognize the urgency of safeguarding the integrity of digital evidence in order to uphold truth and justice.