Known Error Rate
Definition
One of the four Daubert factors. For a forensic tool, the error rate is determined by testing against reference datasets where the ground truth is known. CFTT reports quantify false positives, false negatives, and anomalies for each tool tested.
- Category
- One of the four Daubert reliability factors
- Source
- CFTT (Computer Forensics Tool Testing) reports
- Measured as
- False positive rate, false negative rate, anomaly rate
- Applies to
- Forensic software and hardware tools
Common questions
Why does a tool need a published error rate to be usable in court?+
Without a documented error rate, opposing counsel can argue the tool's output is unverified opinion rather than tested science, which weakens or blocks its admission under Daubert.
What happens when no CFTT report exists for a tool?+
The examiner has to establish reliability another way, for example by validating the tool in-house against known reference data and documenting the test, since courts still expect some measure of known performance.
Related terms
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- Frye Standard
- The US legal test for admissibility of scientific evidence, originating from Frye v. United States (1923), which required that a technique be...
- ISO/IEC 17025
- The international standard for testing and calibration laboratories, published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. It...
- NIST CFTT
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology Computer Forensics Tool Testing programme. It publishes independent test reports for digital forensic tools, including...
- Validation Test Plan
- A structured document that defines the test devices, functions to be tested, expected outcomes, and pass/fail criteria before a new tool is...