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Email OCR Tool to help you Recognize Text from Images & Docs

  author
Written By Mohit Jha
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On December 2nd, 2022
Reading Time 4 Minutes Reading

You might have encountered the term Email OCR or Email Optical Character Recognition during email forensics. But, what exactly does it mean, or how is this advanced technology turn out to be helpful for law enforcement professionals in different scenarios?

Most importantly, which is the best OCR tool that officers can use to make an email investigation process easier?

These are the questions that come to mind while investigating an image file. Let’s find those answers!

What is OCR?

The main aim of Email Optical Character Recognition or OCR is to quickly and automatically convert scanned or photographed image files into machine-readable text format. Further, the result can be searched for keywords.

This modern and sophisticated tech is able to analyze scanned image data & search for patterns resembling letters, numbers, etc. Also, it converts any kind of image file containing text (be it typed, hand-written, or printed) into text format.

Anyway, while investigating emails, officers usually come across image files attached to an email. And, Email OCR can help them easily view the words in those image files.

Though many forensic tools can easily search through text documents, they rarely can read/process image files or documents attached to an email.

A Smart Tool that Comes with Email Optical Character Recognition?

Fortunately, yes!

The professional Email Forensic Tool – MailXaminer, has an in-built Email OCR technology that can search image content or keywords from email attachment files. It is so far the best email analyzing tool preferred by law enforcement agency professionals.

Through a systematic approach, you will be able to search for texts in Image using OCR technology.

Email Optical Character Recognition

Other than OCR, this software is capable of doing a lot of things. Such as,

  • Advanced Keyword Search: Finding evidence from the bulk of electronic data through Robust Forensic Keyword Search.
  • Intelligent Link Analysis: Helps in tracking connections between the suspects using Advanced Link Analysis.
  • Forensic Analysis of Online Platform: Carries out forensic analysis on Skype data such as Calls, Chats, etc.
  • Email Tagging: Tags Emails to differentiate them as per their importance & identify the exact email that relates to the case.
  • Supports 20+ File Formats: Search Terabytes of data from 20+ different file formats such as PST, OST, EDB, MBOX, etc.
  • Compatible with 80+ Email Clients: 80+ Email Clients like Gmail, Office 365, iCloud, Rackspace, Hotmail, etc.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Anyone, be it, Non-technical, semi-skilled, or technical users can easily use the tool.

Now, let’s come to the next question, how Email OCR technology is helpful in different situations?

OCR in Email Investigation & eDiscovery

Given the benefits of OCR, it represents a great deal in eDiscovery and email analysis.

1. During an investigation, forensic experts have to go through hundreds of emails with image files at a time. And, Email Optical Character Recognition technology can certainly make the task easier by processing multiple photographed documents in the email(s) & converting them to machine-readable text format. In this way, investigators save their valuable time and utilize it in other important tasks.

2. Other than investigation, OCR becomes beneficial in information governance and proves to be helpful in legal matters. Since Optical Character Recognition can rapidly convert any image into a machine-readable and searchable format, it speeds up the process of finding specific information.

During an investigation, most courts require text searchability once the documents are eFiled. And, OCR simplifies the same.

Conclusion

Email optical character recognition or simply OCR helps forensic investigators and other law enforcement professionals in various ways. It is the most advanced technology that converts image files to a readable text format making it digitally searchable. And, these identifiable texts in electronic documents might act as crucial evidence in a forensic investigation. That’s why it’s recommended to have a professional forensic tool with in-built OCR technology.

  author

By Mohit Jha

Mohit is a writer, researcher, and editor. Cyber ​​security and digital forensics are the two subjects that keep Mohit out of his seat. In addition, he hopes that the well-researched and thought-out articles he finds will help people learn.