The FBI Framed Him With Science
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- čas přidán 26. 10. 2021
- When tragedy struck Madrid on March 11, 2004, the international community including the FBI rushed to help Spanish police identify the perpetrators. Some of them were too eager.
A partial fingerprint match to Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield thrust him directly into the sights of law enforcement -- and eventually into a jail cell. Despite being 5,000 miles away and not even having a valid passport at the time, the FBI started collecting all sorts of evidence to suggest Mayfield’s guilt. And the problem was having too much data to sort through.
The FBI committed a series of errors from having far too much confidence in fingerprint forensics to employing one of the most common and easily avoidable logical fallacies. They also failed to acknowledge confirmation bias throughout their investigation, and the result was a case against Mayfield that rested on carefully selecting evidence and ignoring the whole truth.
In the nearly two decades that have followed, the FBI’s misuse of forensic evidence and data in the Mayfield case has forced scientists, mathematicians, and courts to re-examine their practices and re-think the validity of what we used to think was perfectly accurate.
Sometimes we don’t have enough evidence to know what really happened -- and other times we have so much information that we actually get it wrong.
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Vsauce2:
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Research and Writing by Matthew Tabor
/ tabortcu
Editing by John Swan
/ @johnswanyt
Huge Thanks To Paula Lieber
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#education #vsauce #crime - Věda a technologie
You say we don't see many 5 foot 3 men with 7 foot wingspans, yet we can clearly see one in the video. Curious
True
It’s hard to argue with his assessment
Vsauce Point USA
Vsauce destroyed by facts and logic
Vsauce you've lied to us!!
"The FBI seized my homework" must have been a new one for that teacher.
LMAO
¡En Español, por favor!
@@Chazbc "El FBI robó mi asignación" debe haber sido una nueva oración para ese maestro.
@@The-Amateur-Magician ¡Muy bien!
And then ate it.
This is a perfect example of why "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" is wrong. Evidence against you will be found no matter how innocent you are. Facts and data can very easily be twisted, as it was in this case.
You are wrong. If everyone hides, we would know less about the evidence twists.
"Give me six lines written by the most honest person, and I will find something to have them hanged for"
@Westpoint wtf?
@@menjolno they never mentioned hiding. Not once.
I think the point is that we are allowing more evidence to sway people than that evidence has a rationale to. So, only allow evidence that can be found in spite of a high degree of privacy because presumably that is the evidence that speaks more to proof of wrong doing. And all of that because it's better than framing innocent people. Maybe the answer is to find much better ways to ensure that investigators are actually doing a good job. But again, if that can't be done, then first stop framing innocent people. Yes?
This reminds me of of a tongue-in-cheek kind of way that my Statistics professor once described things like confirmation bias: "If you torture your data enough, it will eventually confess to significance."
Great Line!
Describes pretty much every government funded study.
@@sdnlawrence5640 except big pharma and covid, of course.
Ahh, just like the nuremberg "trials."
@@jojothermidor those Nazis were guilty
@@vectorflux8887 Forced testimonies.
imagine being the son and getting an F for the missing Spanish homework but actually the FBI took it
Imagine the teacher when they realized he was telling the truth
I was thinking the same thing
"the fbi took my homework"
@@andreygusev7340 "I don't want to hear excuses Jimmy, now where is your homework really."
@@that-dude-jeffe3305 the teacher be like:"ugh ur excuses get worse by the day"
😂😂
I was once falsely accused by the police. I envisioned my whole world and future prospects come crashing down around me as they twisted my words to fit their narrative. My incident was resolved without incrimination within a few hours and it was the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. I can only begin to imagine how Brandon must have felt during his ordeal. He's a champion for persevering.
Yeah those who say you should never talk to the police are right
Hell I was falsely accused of smoking weed in the bathroom (can't imagine why as the only brown kid in a Mormon private school) and THAT was traumatic enough. I can't imagine what you and the first commenter went through and I hope you guys are doing better now.
@Mck Idyl did you sue them
Don't trust the police. EVER. Don't trust authority figures.
Let's go, Brandon!
I was falsely charged of a drug crime when I was 18 years old and a student with a full ride scholarship at a university 7 hours away from where the crime was committed. My class was raided,. I was hauled out in handcuffs, my parents house hours away with my younger siblings was raided, my parents had to hire me an attorney and fight the charges for two years. I was kicked out of the university, lost my scholarship, had to go to court numerous times over the years, paranoid at every second that my life would get destroyed again. The sheriffs dept finally admitted where they got their info, and the girl looked like me, from my old high school and was dating my old high school boyfriend. After thousands of dollars and two years, charges were finally dropped, but my anxiety never left. I was never able to go back to school due to the anxiety, etc. My parents never got over it, and my siblings both got rejected from the university I was kicked out of unfairly, despite having better grades than I did. That really destroyed my life, and changed the entire path of my life.
have you tried giving into the voices
My heart breaks for you. Do what helps you heal and feeds your soul. I can't help but think that if you wrote a book about your experience it would be astoundingly successful. If anyone has a right to yell ACAB, it is you. ♥️
@@based980 killl them killl them
-the voices
Aren't you innocent until proven guilty
@@chazzerayen4615 for criminal cases, yes, in the US at least, but being charged already means the case is stacked against you.
LOL the "spanish documents" being his kid's Spanish homework is _absolutely_ HILARIOUS!
FBI spooks break in and read _the document:_
"Donde esta la biblioteca?
me gusta ir a la playa!"
"Johnson, come take a look at this! It must be some kind of secret Al Qaeda code!"
Where is the library?
I like to go to the beach!
That kid gets to say "El FBI confiscó mi tarea de español." To their spanish teacher. XD
I'm digging the vsauce2/true crime trend
Same I'm really enjoying it
I appreciate that it's more like true innocence, which is a refreshing and frankly more interesting type of content
Same
You know you can truly trust the validity on the info! So good
The JCS bug is spreading far and wide.
damn imagine how many people are falsely accused like that and are serving sentences right now
I once read a crime novel called The Red Thumb-mark, about how easy it would be to frame someone with a fingerprint and how gullible juries can be when it comes to forensics.
The book came out in 1907. Fingerprints were still cutting edge technology. Imagine what someone could do today.
@@EGRJ oh wow yeah someone could plant DNA evidence right now
Best way to put an innocent person in prison:
Threaten them with extremely long sentences if they don't plead guilty.
Why do you think China loves this kind of tech
Studies suggest that up to 10% of people on death row are not the person who did the crime and/or innocent.
The best part about this case is the FBI seizing Spanish homework.. the reputation and training they have😂 I bet that agent got sacked after they realised it was homework
🤣 can you imagine that kid:
Teacher: "Where's your homework???"
Kid: "Yea an FBI took it"
Haha I'm just imagining the interrogation basically being like the scene in The Big Lebowski where The Dude and Walter go to confront Larry Sellers
@@thecomposerchanginggames5250 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Really? That agent is probably the head of FBI by now. Being determined to frame an innocent person regardless of the evidence showing their innocence is a requirement to be able to rise through the ranks.
Reputation and training? Law enforcement are as dumb as they come.
When you are seizing someone’s homework and calling it evidence of terrorism, that’s when you know you’ve gone too far.
Had so much fun editing this. Hope you guys enjoy the video!
You did pretty good.
Ok
Damn john swan you edited vsauce 2's video?
This guy knows how to edit a video... You can learn a lot from him... Keep it up John...
Prime work my man! Absolutely joyful!
🤣 can you imagine that kid:
Teacher: "Where's your homework???"
Kid: "Yea an FBI took it"
"No, really, they took it and locked up my dad, they think he's related to a bombing in Spain despite never being there, and-"
Teacher: "You know, you're making it obvious you're lying by going into so much detail..."
*kid gets detention as well for lying*
😂😂😂😂
"an FBI"
Vsauce2 please keep this series going. It’s so important to highlight when data is used wrong and it’s directly tied to the potential problems with AI.
Hope you know chinas surveillance
@@Glibzer Wot
Future police: AI don't make mis-
We regretfully apologize for the mistake with our new forensic algorithm.
Don’t worry it’s just a glitch In The algorithm , we’ll fix it in the next update....
Here the 11M is a date full of meaning and many people mourn the deaths of the victims. To be honest I didn't expect Vsauce to ever turn their attention to something so close to home, but must say it's a very insteresting case of an accidental and apparently unexplicable incrimination. Thank you for this, Kevin.
Can I ask why the name 11m?
@@alistairmathie7632 cause it happened on March 11th
@@alistairmathie7632 Kinda why the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers is called 9/11, due to happening the 11th of September. It's 11M cause it happened on the 11h of March (Marzo in Spanish).
Also us Spanish people (and maybe most of Europe) say dates like day/month instead of month/day.
Also, in Spain, we call the US terrorist attack 11S (11 de Septiembre)
@@Starkiller160793 thanks it was just the m part which was confusing me
And if you couldn’t tell by my pfp I’m Scottish and yeah we do date it day/ month
I think they are wanting to make videos that show how important what they talk about really is. A good understanding of math and logic can prevent devastating injustice sometimes.
It's funny how the FBI and CIA have done stuff like this for decades and gotten away with it, and people act like they aren't doing it now.
WE KNOW. GOOGLE ROBERT WAYNE O'FERRELL, RICHARD JEWELL. MARTIN LUTHER KING
Imagine being the kid that has to tell their teacher they don't have their homework because the FBI took it in a raid on his home due to suspected terrorism
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” -Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This was all on accident.
Imagine what the FBI could do on purpose.
Imagine what the FBI HAS DONE on purpose.
I'm not convinced at all it was an accident, and with the full story I think many more would agree. (Sharia Mayfield here, Brandon's daughter).
@@shariamayfield5870
I'd indulge the possibility of a conspiracy, but this account was created three weeks ago for the express purpose to post on this video. There is nothing linking this account to Sharia Mayfield beyound the username.
probably frame a president and throw questions to an elevand launch a color revolution against him
@@danepcarver4951 jeffrey
Solid video!
I know right!
Ratio
FBI: *Finds Paper with Spanish words on it*
Paper: What word is Uno in English?
FBI: Ah yes Spanish Documents that clearly incriminate our prime suspect
I’m really loving this video series that focuses on mistakes in true crime. This is a very interesting case and the video was done masterfully. I love the editing of all of the clips and newspaper segments. Plus all of the information presented is incredibly informative.
Agreed!
Could you imagine being the kid having to explain that your homework was taken by the police and being used in your dad's case where he committed a bombing an ocean away. Hope the teacher checked the news
The video repeatedly pushes the claim that the fault came from too much evidence, but that isn't true. The fault came from the misuse of available evidence, which has always been an issue regardless of the amount of evidence that is available. Putting so much responsibility on the amount of evidence only distracts from the real issue, which can be dangerous.
You’re right, but with more data comes more supporting evidence via confirmation bias. It’s a problem regardless of amount of data, but gets worse with more data
Basically, the more data you have, the easier it is to find a way to pull signal from noise.
Indeed, the actual problem is terrible law enforcement.
Yep, the data only shows up to confirm bias the agents already had… in this case if the guy wasn’t Muslim I honestly doubt things would go this far.
No, the video makes the correct claim that the more evidence you have the easier it is to misuse it. Which is true.
Imagine thinking the FBI is any different these days.
Whaaaaaat....nooooo, The FBI would never make a mistake and do something like this, they totally have a PERFECT track record.
Exactly! Collecting all the data they and the NSA can get their hands on couldn't ever backfire. Both the data and the way they use the data are infallible! That's why the yearly number of deaths from terrorist attacks or mass shootings in the US hasn't been over 20 since 2012, compared to a maximum of 1 from 2003-2008.
/s. The total number of deaths between 2003 and 2008 was 1. The minimum of the past 8 years was 21 in 2013. Since 2010 it's increased in 7 of the 10 full years. So much for data collection being useful.
This is why justice will never be able to find the perfect truth and we use "beyond reasonable doubt" based of evidence admitted in court.
These are getting better than Netflix specials, thanks so much for uploading.
I'd be interested in seeing a comparison of Mayfield's prints and Daoud's prints. How similar are they actually? - People have an impression that fingerprints are necessarily guaranteed to be unique, but that would require an infinite number of possible prints. There are _not_ an infinite number of possible prints. In fact, it's highly likely numerous people have had prints exactly like someone else that has existed at some point in time. There isn't even an infinite number possible DNA.
In practice, analyses look for specific points of similarity, so they don't check the whole fingerprint anyway. Even if fingerprints are different, there may be sufficient similarities to conclude they are the same. And, of course, it was a low quality, compressed image of a print, which was almost certainly not the whole of the finger.
I'm pretty sure the first thing in biology we learn about fingerprints is that one in like a couple million will match, and that retinas are even more unique.
err while I'd agree with your general point, finger prints being unique would not require there being an infinite number of potential fingerprints, the number of them would just have to be larger then the number of potential human minds that could exist (or well on present day other at least, if aliens existed, or if bioengineering advances far to create new sapient species or AGI was invented, or etc, there would be people that weren't human, but those cases aren't really relevant) , which while incredibly large, it's still a finite number (as among other reasons, there's only a finite number of ways that the particles in a human body can be arranged)
While I agreed about the fingerprints, because it’s just surface level identifier, you’re very wrong about dna. You don’t even want to know the amount of dna code there is in you. While 99.99% is the same as everyone else, there’s still hundred of identifiers separating you from your sibling. It’s literally impossible for it to ever match anyone. Infinite, because it can’t regress markers down the line actually.
@@carsonhunt4642 I mean you're not wrong, but they're objectively correct in what they said, although in this situation, it's kinda of the "technically correct" variety. There are absolutely a finite number of ways that our DNA can be arranged just as there is [technically] a finite number of ways the atoms in the universe can be arranged. It's just that it's such a huge number that in practice its closer to infinity than any "normal" number (obviously what I just said isn't technically true, but I'm sure you understand what I mean).
Hey Kevin , just wanted to say that I admire these kind of science videos. I get fed up many times with science channels that speak about new science and new technology so cheerfully when everything needs to be seen from many directions. The consequences in social, political, imperial etc. is too important and is too neglected.
9:39 them saying "this degree of coincidence is extraordinarily rare" sounds very similar to "points of similarity that seem to go beyond reasonable coincidence" in the list of similarities between "The Lion King" and "Kimba the White Lion" and we all know how that worked out for them.
The lion king has one single similarity with kimba: it stars a young lion.
People who say they’re the same or that lion king is a ripoff have literally never watched an episode of kimba
I absolutely love the ways Vsauce2 has reinvented itself. It is absolutely amazing. I've been following Vsauce, and later Vsauce2 for the past decade and I am thrilled with this new content!
I love your True Crime Case Videos Kevin, please keep up the great work!
A really unique perspective within the True Crime genre, Kevin! Really loving it!!
I’m an actual forensic scientist. I’m more than happy to help whenever you make another video like this again. There are some missing details that would have made this video a little better in my opinion.
Sharia Mayfield here (Brandon's daughter). I agree some details were missing (and a few inaccuracies), but I was overall glad that he was bringing attention to the issue. I hope you've looked into the NIST studies on the rampancy of confirmation bias. Also, if you're not in the loop with Brandon Garrett, I highly recommend his recent book "Autopsy of a Crime Lab." Please feel free to be in touch if you want to be part of our current national effort to push for "blind testing" (only using task-specific data to conduct the match).
@@shariamayfield5870 fbi took your spanish homework? 😢
You _look_ like a forensic scientist. I don't even know exactly what that means, but you do
@@idontwantahandlethough I’ll take that as a compliment. Especially since I took this photo on my iPhone with the studio portrait mode inside a Taco Bell restroom.
Thanks Kevin. Another very interesting and really important subject. Never realized too much of good data could lead to wrongful conclusion. Keep up the good work, love this series about math mistakes. Not just entertaining, but very informative about the pitfalls of having too much faith and not enough understanding of math tools.
Keep this series going Kevin it's Amazing !
Wow, this video was so well done. Great job Baloon Kevin and your team! One of your best.
Excellent video. Oh so important questions. More and more actual and vital concerns.
Thanks.
Long time listener, first time caller...
I am absolutely loving these new videos you’re doing Kevin. Your content is always amazing and something I can share with friends and make them think.... but these stories, and how you tell them, they are sensational.
Next level science and mystery stories my man, please keep making videos like this.
Bias kills reality
Crime and math along with your storytelling goes together so well, great format!
Imagine trying to explain to your teacher that FBI took your homework
Try telling the teacher "The FBI took my spanish homework."
This is a very important topic and it’s so great to see Kevin covering it like this. The fact is that law enforcement will sometimes just go after anyone that fits their data. The movie Richard Jewell is a really good look at another real life case like this
Im so happy to see more real life statistic and math cases being portrayed here. Hope this doesn't get demonetized
Love the new format of stories! Super interesting!
Heck yeah! Love the series on errors in the justice system via statistics. Think this one will stay monetized?
Bet it won't last 24 hours. Can't let the peasants know that the alphabet cops aren't perfect
Even though he's just reporting what many others have already reported and then highlighting the logic or math parts of it, calling attention to it is apparently controversy.
@@NickRoman yes the same way they demonetized his last video that covered similar circumstances
So, we know that the FBI has a crazy amount more information about everyone than ever before. That's easy to assume. But, do we know if they have somehow been required to do a better job of analysis? If not, this problem only gets worse and worse.
Required? No. The FBI was originally created to gather dirt and frame those they considered political enemies of the state. Their targets were originally socialists and communists (Charlie Chaplin and MLK) and later on became Muslims. I think calling this a data analysis or confirmation bias issue overlooks the political context the FBI exists in; Mayfield becoming a prime suspect based on his conversion to Islam is and has been standard operating procedure for countless FBI investigations and they only got caught because of how public this one was (and also because he's white.)
@@iy42 commies are the degenerates of the earth if we would just genocide them it wouldn't be a problem
Another banger! Thanks for all the effort you put into these!
Loving this series Kevin, keep going!
I LOVE the idea behind this video. It really reminds me about how sometimes the media and/or people of influence will interpret real data and numbers wrong to forward their agenda.
"Sometimes" bro i would be shocked if they didn't do it every single time
I love these crime meets science videos, they combine by 2 favorite genres.
outstanding... Thanks Kevin
One of the best videos I've ever seen. Well done 👏
Imagine you just spent an hour trying to finish your Spanish homework, and then it gets seized by the FBI
Imagine his son having to go back to school and tell his teacher that the fbi took his homework
"The some way some use what's right, is wrong" spot on analysis!
I'll never forget this
I could listen to you talk all day, also the editing was really amazing in this video 👏
And people wonder why there's so little faith in the government...
I have a theory about the power lines/leukemia correlation that is far more likely than the power lines themselves. Around power lines they tend to keep any trees and brush down in the area in case they need to service the lines. One of the ways they do it is by spraying various herbicides in the area. There'll be plenty of overspray that would get into the yards around the lines and even if that didn't happen, the odds that children will play around those lines are about equal. As it happens, there are plenty of herbicides that have links to leukemia.
For over 30 years, my father was in charge of the maintenance of high voltage power lines in my part of the world. One part of his job was to make sure the growth below the lines in the right-of-way was kept below about 6-8'. They never used chemicals, because they wanted low growing plants to help stabilize the soil to help reduce landslides. They only cut down tall growing trees once they grew above the max height. This was in mountainous terrain. In flat terrain, they would just let grasses take over. It would not be in the power company's best interest to have a wide swath of bare sterile dirt under their lines.
TL:DR The power companies don't use herbicides under the power lines.
@@samarnadra It could also be related to pure chance and not casually linked to any of those factors.
This channel is unbelievable, I'm happy to have discovered now, but at the same time sad that it took so long, this is a masterpiece.
First time I've heard of this. Great presentation, thank you!
There was a similar case in Australia. Farrah Jamah was arrested for a case he didn't commit based on the CSI effect - the jury valued faulty DNA evidence over everything else that said he was innocent
This is good stuff, I hope you won't get squashed by CZcams not giving revenue. :)
I'm so glad you made another on of these Mr. Vsauce2
Thank you.
This is supremely well done. I feel well informed and have a new desire to fact-check what I consume. I really enjoyed the driven, narrative feel, like I was watching Kevin narrate a story. Good job guys!
Yeah, this is pretty dark.
Also, being an attorney for low-income clients made him more suspicious to the FBI. They're like that.
Incompetence at their finest instead of simply asking for objective capacity to discern.
These are, hands down, amazing videos! Never knew that math and detective work goes so well together 🤔
This makes an interesting comparison and dynamic in the science/math CZcams space considering the biggest criticism on Veritasium's DNA video from about a month ago--at least, that was the first thing that came to my mind when watching this
These videos exploring logical fallacies and related high profile cases are very interesting. Another interesting one is the survivor bias and wwii planes.
Thanks for informing me about Mine. It’s great to know that all the shady sites I joined when I was young can no longer have access to my things.
Glad you liked it!
Your last few videos have been amazing, really great job!
You know it wasn’t a mathematician that said that because we never say 100% 😂😂😂
The most important sentence to remember when working on anything investigating related is: *Correlation does not equal causation* and vice versa.
Not really vise versa. If something is the cause there will be correlation.
whoever oversaw that case shouldve been thrown in jail and every penny they made should have been given to mayfield
Fantastic as always.
love videos like this!!
yeah same, science is really interesting! :)
Loving these new videos that relate maths to real world. ♥
More of these please!
Wow thanks a lot of suggesting saymine. I was quite surprised to see only 44 companies have my data, nothing dangerous or risky but still need to see and know. Great video, love the content.
Thank you for this video. This is precious knowledge.
If we do not know history we are doomed to repeat it
4:51
"he felt like he was being watched"
insert clip of ominous hand pushing an additional microphone closer to him
I love how Kevin has the exact same vibe as Austin from game theory..
Now that you say about it, it's kind of true.
I love these new documentary style videos Kevin.
gotta say that I'm loving these real life case studies . pumped up for the next ones
Spanish teacher: Jimmy where's your homework?
Jimmy: The FBI took it
Spanish teacher: ...
Spanish teacher: Jimmy see me after class
Jimmy: :(
Ifbit happens again she will call his father
I have really enjoyed your last two videos! Keep it up!
Yet another fantastic video Kevin.
Fingerprinting isn't nearly as accurate as people act. Even with perfect prints.
DNA is indeed much better, but much more rare. Both are circumstantial, so neither are actually proof, and it’s easy to plant fingerprints, much harder to plant DNA evidence.
Yeah, this is why no single or even small plurality of evidence should be used to convict someone unless it’s extremely overwhelming
FBI framing someone? They seem so nice.
Great video! Thought provoking!
Loving this series or crime and math, thanks guys!
Me after watching the fist 20 seconds:
*Bro… evil twin*
@@theAstarrr then why are they twins?
Factually incorrect
@@SmplyBoi Identical twins will share the same DNA (there are other types of twins, like fraternal, that don't have the exact same DNA). However, fingerprints aren't encoded in one's DNA, they're just a product of the particular way our fingers developed. And since identical twins experience small differences in the womb, they have different fingerprints. The patterns will be similar though.
@@marsilies when people like you exist, I start to think I’m the only person here without graduating Harvard university 6 times over
It’s a *j o k e*
@@theAstarrr I’m not
*but ok-*
@@theAstarrr true
This guy was my neighbor. He's originally from Kansas.
i can remember my professor for a statistics course telling me once that "if you gather enough information you can find statistics to support whatever argument your trying to make" and i've always remembered this throughout my life whenever i look at a chart or hear someone spout off about numbers or some statistic, though i never have the heart to engage in some semantical debate about stats n numbers LoL *great video by the way, forgot to mention that*
Love the new style of videos, using Case Studies to talk about very statistical improbable situations.
I'm from Madrid myself.
Nice video, let's just hope youtube doesn't demonetize this one