FAQ
Answers to the questions we hear most.
Straightforward answers about what Second Trace is, who it is for, and how it treats evidence, uncertainty, and privacy.
What is Second Trace?
Second Trace is currently an educational demonstration of case-documentation workflows. It holds the fragmented record of a case — sources, claims, timelines, relationships, and analysis — in one disciplined structure where every fact is traceable and every uncertainty is visible. Use the example material to explore the interface; the current release is not for real investigations or legal decisions. The demonstration case combines public historical records with clearly labeled synthetic examples. No private case material is shown.
Who is it for?
The current release is for anyone who wants to explore how disciplined case documentation works — researchers, journalists, students, and the responsible public. It is an educational demonstration, not a service for real casework.
How do I get access?
Sign in with Google. Your first sign-in creates a private demonstration workspace seeded with example material — no invitation, approval, or payment required. There is no separate signup form, free plan, trial, or waitlist.
Does Google sign-in create an account?
Yes. Your first Google sign-in creates a Second Trace account and a demonstration workspace. Signing in again later with the same Google account reopens that workspace.
What data can I enter?
The current release is an educational demonstration. Use the provided example material to explore the interface; do not enter real case data, because this release is not for real investigations or legal decisions.
Is Second Trace affiliated with law enforcement?
No. Second Trace is an independently built documentation and analysis tool. It is not affiliated with any law-enforcement agency and does not connect to official systems such as CODIS, ViCAP, or NamUs.
Does Second Trace determine guilt or rank suspects?
No — and it is structurally prevented from doing so. It never scores guilt, never ranks suspects, and never converts allegations, testimony, or inferences into facts. Presumption of innocence is displayed on every case.
How does it handle uncertain or disputed information?
Uncertainty is first-class. Timelines hold exact, approximate, disputed, range, and unknown states side by side and never merge conflicting accounts. Every claim is typed — fact, allegation, testimony, inference, hypothesis, or unknown — and that type is preserved through analysis and export.
How does the AI work?
Where deterministic methods are better (hashing, deduplication, full-text search), those are used instead of a language model. Where AI assists, it retrieves only case-authorized material, must cite it, is labeled as AI output, and requires human verification. “Insufficient evidence” is treated as a complete answer.
Is my case data private?
Yes. Every case lives inside an organization with row-level security enforced by the database itself. Uploaded originals are immutable and content-addressed (SHA-256) and audit events are append-only. AI processing is scoped to case-authorized content and is local by default.
Does Second Trace support collaboration?
Yes — roles, invitations, comments, review flows, and restricted notes let a team work together without compromising the integrity of the record.
Is Second Trace a substitute for professional advice?
No. It is a documentation and organization instrument, not legal, investigative, or forensic advice. Always consult the appropriate licensed professional for any real-world matter.
Want to go deeper? The resource library has practical guides on building timelines, organizing evidence, responsible OSINT, and the ethics of researching unsolved cases.