steve862 wrote:
In relation to measures of confidence in artefacts there are many possible examples. A simple one is a Windows registry, which may report the date of installation, but it isn't a fact it was installed on that date. Other than the clock may not have always been correct the OS may have been installed onto that disk but in another PC and then transferred over. Or it could be a clone of another disk, either created in that computer or in another computer (and so on...).
I might say that program A creates these artefacts in this folder with these properties but it doesn't rule out the possibility they were created by another program or process and then placed there. The likelihood of such an occurrence is likely to be very small. It will depend on the program and the possibility the program allows or used to allow the syncing or importing of certain files, which might have been a user or automated action and for which different options might have been available to apply.
If we're talking about a red herring being created by a user then it might be a user who works in IT and clearly displays the requisite knowledge based on what else they've done on their devices, is more capable of doing so than a user who barely knows how to use MS Word.
I'd also be want to be a little cautious around artefacts which might have been impacted by privacy and security programs, (or settings), anti-virus software or even significant changes in the OS.
Three useful examples above about program generated artefacts that reminds me how clarity in reporting is important. Should the author of the report/flowchart define what s/he means by the word artefact/artifact when making a statement using the word fact associated with it?
steve862 your comments remind me how the word 'artefact' might be defined. In Barbara Ann Kipfer 2007 book 'Dictionary of Artifacts' (defining terms for archaeology), Barbara refers to artifacts generated due to human agency: "artifact: any object (article, building, container, device, dwelling, ornament, pottery, tool, weapon, work of art) made, affected, used, or modified in some way by human beings." ....[artefact].
and
"artifact type: a description of a category of artifacts that share a set of somewhat variable attributes..." ....[artefact type].
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