The FBI Framed Him With Science

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  • Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
  • 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.
    ** LINKS **
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    Hosted and Produced by Kevin Lieber
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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

Комментарии • 1,3 тыс.

  • @surrealentertainment
    @surrealentertainment 2 года назад +5956

    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

  • @dracorex426
    @dracorex426 2 года назад +4839

    "The FBI seized my homework" must have been a new one for that teacher.

    • @giladrosen
      @giladrosen 2 года назад +149

      LMAO

    • @Chazbc
      @Chazbc 2 года назад +262

      ¡En Español, por favor!

    • @The-Amateur-Magician
      @The-Amateur-Magician 2 года назад +262

      @@Chazbc "El FBI robó mi asignación" debe haber sido una nueva oración para ese maestro.

    • @Chazbc
      @Chazbc 2 года назад +162

      @@The-Amateur-Magician ¡Muy bien!

    • @NickRoman
      @NickRoman 2 года назад +129

      And then ate it.

  • @thecomposerchanginggames5250
    @thecomposerchanginggames5250 2 года назад +280

    🤣 can you imagine that kid:
    Teacher: "Where's your homework???"
    Kid: "Yea an FBI took it"

    • @fetchstixRHD
      @fetchstixRHD 2 года назад +25

      "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*

    • @SolidCoreBlack
      @SolidCoreBlack 2 года назад

      😂😂😂😂

    • @nickkohlmann
      @nickkohlmann 2 года назад +1

      "an FBI"

  • @RobbieBeswick
    @RobbieBeswick 2 года назад +1084

    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

    • @thecomposerchanginggames5250
      @thecomposerchanginggames5250 2 года назад +232

      🤣 can you imagine that kid:
      Teacher: "Where's your homework???"
      Kid: "Yea an FBI took it"

    • @MrSensfan4
      @MrSensfan4 2 года назад +30

      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

    • @theboss-by5gd
      @theboss-by5gd 2 года назад +4

      @@thecomposerchanginggames5250 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

    • @MateusAntonioBittencourt
      @MateusAntonioBittencourt 2 года назад +115

      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.

    • @rohitchaoji
      @rohitchaoji 2 года назад +28

      Reputation and training? Law enforcement are as dumb as they come.

  • @user-vn7ce5ig1z
    @user-vn7ce5ig1z 2 года назад +139

    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.

    • @richardfarrer5616
      @richardfarrer5616 2 года назад +33

      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.

    • @ayoCC
      @ayoCC 2 года назад +8

      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.

    • @phee4174
      @phee4174 2 года назад +8

      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)

    • @carsonhunt4642
      @carsonhunt4642 2 года назад +13

      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.

    • @idontwantahandlethough
      @idontwantahandlethough 2 года назад +6

      @@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).

  • @michaelpathmann
    @michaelpathmann 2 года назад +77

    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.

    • @shariamayfield5870
      @shariamayfield5870 2 года назад +43

      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).

    • @dhiyafaris
      @dhiyafaris 2 года назад +14

      @@shariamayfield5870 fbi took your spanish homework? 😢

    • @idontwantahandlethough
      @idontwantahandlethough 2 года назад +4

      You _look_ like a forensic scientist. I don't even know exactly what that means, but you do

    • @michaelpathmann
      @michaelpathmann 2 года назад +11

      @@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.

  • @Valocity373
    @Valocity373 2 года назад +14

    Im so happy to see more real life statistic and math cases being portrayed here. Hope this doesn't get demonetized

  • @THEDeathWizard87
    @THEDeathWizard87 2 года назад +10

    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

  • @Pepa14pig
    @Pepa14pig Год назад +3

    You know it wasn’t a mathematician that said that because we never say 100% 😂😂😂

  • @joshwindle1022
    @joshwindle1022 2 года назад +2

    "he suspected his home and office had been broken into... because they were both REALLY broken into..." 5:17 lmao

  • @sheepy627
    @sheepy627 2 года назад +5

    I love these crime meets science videos, they combine by 2 favorite genres.

  • @stridersoa
    @stridersoa 2 года назад +1

    Another banger! Thanks for all the effort you put into these!

  • @daxterthefox
    @daxterthefox Год назад +1

    Imagine what they saw in his search history.. 🤔

  • @daemon.mythos
    @daemon.mythos 8 месяцев назад

    The more you learn about the FBI/CIA/NSA (etc), the more you fear them as an innocent civilian.

  • @RealCosmosry
    @RealCosmosry 2 года назад +6

    Loving these new videos that relate maths to real world. ♥
    More of these please!

  • @ethanbrandt8617
    @ethanbrandt8617 2 года назад +1

    Overconfidence in our skill of perception can make us oblivious

  • @davymckeown4577
    @davymckeown4577 2 года назад

    In A Universe From Nothing, Lawrence Krauss described String theory as being akin to a new version of darts where the player throws a dart at a wall and draws a bullseye wherever the dart lands.

  • @dizzle6709
    @dizzle6709 2 года назад

    Imagine what would have happened if it wasnt a lawyer with some money.

  • @cerrigate
    @cerrigate Год назад

    We end up viewing something in a simple way that ignored the true basics of how it works. Like memorizing multiplication answers but never knowing how to multiply.

  • @geekehUK
    @geekehUK 2 года назад

    This is why programmers include sanity checks in their code.

  • @maxchronos4567
    @maxchronos4567 2 года назад

    "Billy, no more of your reasons of why you didn't do your homework"

  • @444haluk
    @444haluk 2 года назад

    F in FBI is for "Framing".

  • @carterthechevrolet9219
    @carterthechevrolet9219 2 года назад

    They actually framed him for POOPING CHOCOLATE.

  • @AGHathaway
    @AGHathaway 2 года назад

    This is why we need a Web3 data system: A natural check and balance between datasets.

  • @Cpt_Wyatt
    @Cpt_Wyatt 2 года назад

    I disapeared twice. Changed my life twice. And no one ever knew

  • @dominicbrunsmeier
    @dominicbrunsmeier 7 месяцев назад

    The FBI ate my homework.

  • @LiveFreeOrDie2A
    @LiveFreeOrDie2A 3 месяца назад +1

    I’m just here for the gem mint Charizard🔎🔥

  • @therealjammit
    @therealjammit 2 года назад

    Fingerprints are foolproof. People aren't.

  • @SuperShadowP1ay
    @SuperShadowP1ay 2 года назад

    Okay this is a super small thing, but I loved that nothing was said after "..and always, thanks for watching." IMO it leaves a great chill down my spine when the video reaches an exciting conclusion and then just let's the music play out.

  • @TheAIKnowledgeHub
    @TheAIKnowledgeHub 2 года назад

    So after things like this, things with Trump, and other things. Why do we have the FBI?

  • @brandnewty
    @brandnewty 2 года назад

    My golf game always reverts back to the mean

  • @SuitandTie1992
    @SuitandTie1992 2 года назад

    Vsauce2 is just Jesse Pinkman if he passed chemistry

  • @dennisnick5559
    @dennisnick5559 2 года назад

    Me a metric user watching this and learning I am 7ft tall, I learn something new every day.

  • @Mawzeen
    @Mawzeen 2 года назад

    So many comments...but can you explain why a strategy in the 100 prison paradox isnt "If you have an odd number only open odd numbers if you have an uneven number just open an uneven number? isnt that a 50% chance to get it?"

  • @Т1000-м1и
    @Т1000-м1и 9 месяцев назад +1

    I am very ashamed for seeing things at 10:57

  • @sad_salamiquit4880
    @sad_salamiquit4880 2 года назад

    My mom and her twin have the exact same finger print on their fingers, but the thumb is different

  • @TruSpectrez
    @TruSpectrez 2 года назад +5

    Confirmation Bias seems closely related to Critical Race Theory. Kissing cousins?

  • @EchoRabbit
    @EchoRabbit 2 года назад

    Kinda wild how many times the Alphabet Bois fuck up, yet never really take accountability for it.

  • @dustman96
    @dustman96 2 года назад

    I believe there is pressure to find and convict a suspect whether or not it is the actual perpetrator.

  • @phee4174
    @phee4174 2 года назад +1

    Would anyone recognize where any of the music used in the video would be from?

  • @pathwaytousername
    @pathwaytousername 2 года назад +1

    Of course I've heard of this case, but it was described as two people who had matching fingerprints, and that not all fingerprints are unique. (While they still aren't completely unique) This video shows the other side of that.

    • @shariamayfield5870
      @shariamayfield5870 2 года назад +1

      They were never matching fingerprints. And the FBI should have never claimed it was 100% when the Spanish Authorities themselves said it was a NEGATIVO match. A bunch of misconduct that could have cost my dad his life. (His daughter here, and the worst part is he was completely falsely alleged of being an enemy combatant as well, which could have led to him being shipped off to Guantanamo Bay and once charged, possibly faced a death penalty).

  • @Lilith-gk5sr
    @Lilith-gk5sr 2 года назад

    Lmao only 16 companies held my data

  • @sepiasmith5065
    @sepiasmith5065 2 года назад

    There's another story of a person's prints matching a set found at a crime, but the reason they were dismissed was because they literally weren't born yet at the time of the crime. I've learned to only trust fingerprints these kinds of evidences when everything else points with it.
    Also, I had a teacher accuse me of plagiarizing one of my simple coding assignments. Because I did so well. Thankfully, she knew me pretty well, and I was able to say where I got some of the pieces she didn't explicitly teach me (we were encouraged to do our own exploring!) and because I'd already mentioned that I have played around with basic html and css before the class, it made sense that my code would look better than a complete newbie's. But man that was a scary few minutes. Someone saying "you did a bad thing" and you know you didn't.... god. spooky.

  • @chuckwagon9973
    @chuckwagon9973 2 года назад

    4:33 got it, wallpaper comes in a variety of forms

  • @dontcomply3976
    @dontcomply3976 2 года назад

    FBI, open up
    Lets go Brandon

  • @CatDribble
    @CatDribble 2 года назад

    When the fbi wonders why no one trusts them

  • @1111111111111117066
    @1111111111111117066 2 года назад

    why would you compare PPI to KB and not KB to KB ?

  • @juggernautAA12
    @juggernautAA12 2 года назад

    Nah but they definitely wouldn't do it now...

  • @doeyjiaz4798
    @doeyjiaz4798 2 года назад +1

    Actually, finger prints are not an exact science

  • @memejeff
    @memejeff 2 года назад

    this video was amazing

  • @samueljames0908
    @samueljames0908 2 года назад +3878

    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.

    • @menjolno
      @menjolno 2 года назад +13

      You are wrong. If everyone hides, we would know less about the evidence twists.

    • @TheMagzuz
      @TheMagzuz 2 года назад +341

      "Give me six lines written by the most honest person, and I will find something to have them hanged for"

    • @filip4698
      @filip4698 2 года назад +12

      @Westpoint wtf?

    • @NickRoman
      @NickRoman 2 года назад +45

      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?

    • @5hirtandtieler
      @5hirtandtieler 2 года назад +54

      @@menjolno Your conclusion is irrelevant because not everyone hides. That said, you can still find information if people attempt to hide it...I mean, that’s how investigations tend to work....

  • @idontwantahandlethough
    @idontwantahandlethough 2 года назад +265

    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!"

    • @Corvid-Conquest
      @Corvid-Conquest Год назад +9

      Where is the library?
      I like to go to the beach!

    • @potatomongrel
      @potatomongrel 5 месяцев назад +5

      That kid gets to say "El FBI confiscó mi tarea de español." To their spanish teacher. XD

  • @Canadian_Ry
    @Canadian_Ry 2 года назад +2036

    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.

    • @realGBx64
      @realGBx64 2 года назад +112

      Yeah those who say you should never talk to the police are right

    • @nmxsanchez
      @nmxsanchez 2 года назад +192

      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.

    • @MysteryHistery
      @MysteryHistery 2 года назад +5

      @Mck Idyl did you sue them

    • @FallenShadowNinja
      @FallenShadowNinja 2 года назад +28

      Don't trust the police. EVER. Don't trust authority figures.

    • @jamesmoriarty3877
      @jamesmoriarty3877 2 года назад +10

      Let's go, Brandon!

  • @notmitrius7093
    @notmitrius7093 2 года назад +836

    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."

    • @sdnlawrence5640
      @sdnlawrence5640 2 года назад +11

      Great Line!
      Describes pretty much every government funded study.

    • @2411509igwt
      @2411509igwt 2 года назад +5

      @@sdnlawrence5640 except big pharma and covid, of course.

    • @jojothermidor
      @jojothermidor 2 года назад +4

      Ahh, just like the nuremberg "trials."

    • @vectorflux8887
      @vectorflux8887 2 года назад

      @@jojothermidor those Nazis were guilty

    • @jojothermidor
      @jojothermidor 2 года назад +6

      @@vectorflux8887 Forced testimonies.

  • @skylerblumenthal7003
    @skylerblumenthal7003 2 года назад +1722

    I'm digging the vsauce2/true crime trend

    • @JoaquinBauman
      @JoaquinBauman 2 года назад +13

      Same I'm really enjoying it

    • @DonutSlayer99
      @DonutSlayer99 2 года назад +43

      I appreciate that it's more like true innocence, which is a refreshing and frankly more interesting type of content

    • @NRClips3414
      @NRClips3414 2 года назад +1

      Same

    • @jackimo22
      @jackimo22 2 года назад

      You know you can truly trust the validity on the info! So good

    • @tomweather8887
      @tomweather8887 2 года назад +6

      The JCS bug is spreading far and wide.

  • @kcldnx3485
    @kcldnx3485 2 года назад +938

    imagine being the son and getting an F for the missing Spanish homework but actually the FBI took it

    • @that-dude-jeffe3305
      @that-dude-jeffe3305 2 года назад +157

      Imagine the teacher when they realized he was telling the truth

    • @darthandrew2036
      @darthandrew2036 2 года назад +9

      I was thinking the same thing

    • @andreygusev7340
      @andreygusev7340 2 года назад +80

      "the fbi took my homework"

    • @darthandrew2036
      @darthandrew2036 2 года назад +73

      @@andreygusev7340 "I don't want to hear excuses Jimmy, now where is your homework really."

    • @theboss-by5gd
      @theboss-by5gd 2 года назад +40

      @@that-dude-jeffe3305 the teacher be like:"ugh ur excuses get worse by the day"
      😂😂

  • @JohnSwanYT
    @JohnSwanYT 2 года назад +1874

    Had so much fun editing this. Hope you guys enjoy the video!

    • @DetectiveWraith
      @DetectiveWraith 2 года назад +31

      You did pretty good.

    • @KrishnanandKJ
      @KrishnanandKJ 2 года назад +8

      Ok

    • @severe1878
      @severe1878 2 года назад +27

      Damn john swan you edited vsauce 2's video?

    • @wardfiction5693
      @wardfiction5693 2 года назад +13

      This guy knows how to edit a video... You can learn a lot from him... Keep it up John...

    • @Draxis32
      @Draxis32 2 года назад +6

      Prime work my man! Absolutely joyful!

  • @FLHerbologistLaura
    @FLHerbologistLaura 2 года назад +528

    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.

    • @based980
      @based980 2 года назад +20

      have you tried giving into the voices

    • @lizc6393
      @lizc6393 2 года назад +63

      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. ♥️

    • @optimx314
      @optimx314 2 года назад +20

      @@based980 killl them killl them
      -the voices

    • @chazzerayen4615
      @chazzerayen4615 2 года назад +5

      Aren't you innocent until proven guilty

    • @IrvineTheHunter
      @IrvineTheHunter Год назад +23

      @@chazzerayen4615 for criminal cases, yes, in the US at least, but being charged already means the case is stacked against you.

  • @mastershooter64
    @mastershooter64 2 года назад +446

    damn imagine how many people are falsely accused like that and are serving sentences right now

    • @EGRJ
      @EGRJ 2 года назад +80

      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.

    • @mastershooter64
      @mastershooter64 2 года назад +9

      @@EGRJ oh wow yeah someone could plant DNA evidence right now

    • @eternaldarkness3139
      @eternaldarkness3139 2 года назад +62

      Best way to put an innocent person in prison:
      Threaten them with extremely long sentences if they don't plead guilty.

    • @hugoclarke3284
      @hugoclarke3284 2 года назад +6

      Why do you think China loves this kind of tech

    • @BariumCobaltNitrog3n
      @BariumCobaltNitrog3n 2 года назад +11

      Studies suggest that up to 10% of people on death row are not the person who did the crime and/or innocent.

  • @alarcon99
    @alarcon99 2 года назад +315

    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.

    • @Glibzer
      @Glibzer 2 года назад +1

      Hope you know chinas surveillance

    • @psychopompous489
      @psychopompous489 2 года назад +4

      @@Glibzer Wot

    • @planescaped
      @planescaped 2 года назад +4

      Future police: AI don't make mis-
      We regretfully apologize for the mistake with our new forensic algorithm.

    • @simonmcneilly55
      @simonmcneilly55 2 года назад

      Don’t worry it’s just a glitch In The algorithm , we’ll fix it in the next update....

  • @tita_piranna
    @tita_piranna 2 года назад +369

    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.

    • @alistairmathie7632
      @alistairmathie7632 2 года назад +5

      Can I ask why the name 11m?

    • @CiDK
      @CiDK 2 года назад +19

      @@alistairmathie7632 cause it happened on March 11th

    • @Starkiller160793
      @Starkiller160793 2 года назад +33

      @@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)

    • @alistairmathie7632
      @alistairmathie7632 2 года назад +11

      @@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

    • @NickRoman
      @NickRoman 2 года назад +5

      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.

  • @DJCReptiles
    @DJCReptiles 2 года назад +180

    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.

  • @aaronfidelis3188
    @aaronfidelis3188 2 года назад +31

    When you are seizing someone’s homework and calling it evidence of terrorism, that’s when you know you’ve gone too far.

  • @smartereveryday
    @smartereveryday 2 года назад +72

    Solid video!

  • @SgtSupaman
    @SgtSupaman 2 года назад +38

    “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

  • @remyzorba6287
    @remyzorba6287 2 года назад +62

    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

  • @Draxis32
    @Draxis32 2 года назад +68

    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!

  • @Sooper-Pumpkin
    @Sooper-Pumpkin 2 года назад +8

    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

  • @basementdwellercosplay
    @basementdwellercosplay 2 года назад +20

    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

  • @ShaolinMonkster
    @ShaolinMonkster 2 года назад +48

    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.

  • @nickronca1562
    @nickronca1562 2 года назад +33

    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.

    • @DarranKern
      @DarranKern 2 года назад +3

      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

  • @BoomerElite4u
    @BoomerElite4u 2 года назад +27

    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.

    • @rp7r54
      @rp7r54 4 месяца назад

      WE KNOW. GOOGLE ROBERT WAYNE O'FERRELL, RICHARD JEWELL. MARTIN LUTHER KING

  • @BainesMkII
    @BainesMkII 2 года назад +55

    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.

    • @warnstar1101
      @warnstar1101 2 года назад +12

      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

    • @paulmahoney7619
      @paulmahoney7619 2 года назад +13

      Basically, the more data you have, the easier it is to find a way to pull signal from noise.

    • @BUFU1610
      @BUFU1610 2 года назад +4

      Indeed, the actual problem is terrible law enforcement.

    • @biazacha
      @biazacha 2 года назад

      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.

    • @0106johnny
      @0106johnny 2 года назад +12

      No, the video makes the correct claim that the more evidence you have the easier it is to misuse it. Which is true.

  • @TickedOffPriest
    @TickedOffPriest 2 года назад +45

    This was all on accident.
    Imagine what the FBI could do on purpose.

    • @danepcarver4951
      @danepcarver4951 2 года назад +61

      Imagine what the FBI HAS DONE on purpose.

    • @shariamayfield5870
      @shariamayfield5870 2 года назад +19

      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).

    • @JohnSmith-ox3gy
      @JohnSmith-ox3gy 2 года назад +18

      @@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.

    • @mikekasich836
      @mikekasich836 2 года назад

      probably frame a president and throw questions to an elevand launch a color revolution against him

    • @henrywutzke1685
      @henrywutzke1685 2 года назад

      @@danepcarver4951 jeffrey

  • @wolfchanel2879
    @wolfchanel2879 2 года назад +82

    Heck yeah! Love the series on errors in the justice system via statistics. Think this one will stay monetized?

    • @williamlake1019
      @williamlake1019 2 года назад +15

      Bet it won't last 24 hours. Can't let the peasants know that the alphabet cops aren't perfect

    • @NickRoman
      @NickRoman 2 года назад +10

      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.

    • @williamlake1019
      @williamlake1019 2 года назад +6

      @@NickRoman yes the same way they demonetized his last video that covered similar circumstances

  • @NickRoman
    @NickRoman 2 года назад +22

    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.

    • @iy42
      @iy42 2 года назад +6

      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.)

    • @thewildcardperson
      @thewildcardperson 2 года назад

      @@iy42 commies are the degenerates of the earth if we would just genocide them it wouldn't be a problem

  • @MorgurEdits
    @MorgurEdits 2 года назад +18

    This is good stuff, I hope you won't get squashed by RUclips not giving revenue. :)

  • @TommyCrosby
    @TommyCrosby 2 года назад +19

    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.

  • @ehrichweiss
    @ehrichweiss 2 года назад +15

    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.

    • @e-curb
      @e-curb 2 года назад +7

      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.

    • @Batmangutten
      @Batmangutten 2 года назад +1

      @@samarnadra It could also be related to pure chance and not casually linked to any of those factors.

  • @jmell458
    @jmell458 2 года назад +16

    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

  • @randyb3851
    @randyb3851 2 года назад +20

    Whaaaaaat....nooooo, The FBI would never make a mistake and do something like this, they totally have a PERFECT track record.

    • @bane2201
      @bane2201 2 года назад +3

      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.

  • @fatetreat
    @fatetreat 2 года назад +20

    These are getting better than Netflix specials, thanks so much for uploading.

  • @1.4142
    @1.4142 2 года назад +8

    Try telling the teacher "The FBI took my spanish homework."

  • @SawtoothWaves
    @SawtoothWaves 2 года назад +17

    love videos like this!!

  • @rollingsausageltd
    @rollingsausageltd 2 года назад +13

    Imagine trying to explain to your teacher that FBI took your homework

  • @Zanroff
    @Zanroff 2 года назад +9

    Imagine thinking the FBI is any different these days.

  • @elidagdagan2780
    @elidagdagan2780 2 года назад +15

    I love your True Crime Case Videos Kevin, please keep up the great work!

  • @Carnage8
    @Carnage8 2 года назад +11

    Bias kills reality

  • @SmplyBoi
    @SmplyBoi 2 года назад +38

    Me after watching the fist 20 seconds:
    *Bro… evil twin*

    • @SmplyBoi
      @SmplyBoi 2 года назад

      @@theAstarrr then why are they twins?
      Factually incorrect

    • @marsilies
      @marsilies 2 года назад +2

      @@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.

    • @SmplyBoi
      @SmplyBoi 2 года назад

      @@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*

    • @SmplyBoi
      @SmplyBoi 2 года назад

      @@theAstarrr I’m not
      *but ok-*

    • @SmplyBoi
      @SmplyBoi 2 года назад +1

      @@theAstarrr true

  • @MAXIMILLIONtheGREAT
    @MAXIMILLIONtheGREAT 2 года назад +38

    Fingerprinting isn't nearly as accurate as people act. Even with perfect prints.

    • @DetectiveWraith
      @DetectiveWraith 2 года назад +6

      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.

    • @fossforever512
      @fossforever512 2 года назад +3

      Yeah, this is why no single or even small plurality of evidence should be used to convict someone unless it’s extremely overwhelming

  • @kara5593
    @kara5593 2 года назад +6

    Spanish teacher: Jimmy where's your homework?
    Jimmy: The FBI took it
    Spanish teacher: ...
    Spanish teacher: Jimmy see me after class
    Jimmy: :(

    • @nadavgvili9684
      @nadavgvili9684 2 года назад +1

      Ifbit happens again she will call his father

  • @officerbt3347
    @officerbt3347 2 года назад +8

    Imagine you just spent an hour trying to finish your Spanish homework, and then it gets seized by the FBI

  • @Abell_lledA
    @Abell_lledA 2 года назад +9

    One is caught up playing the impassioned protagonist in one's Subjective Narrative of Self🎈

    • @cornlips7247
      @cornlips7247 2 года назад +1

      What a pretentious way to state the obvious.

  • @Steve-mg8tc
    @Steve-mg8tc 2 года назад +6

    “Sorry the FBI took my homework because my dad killed 192 people in Spain by exploding a train”

  • @tortus7249
    @tortus7249 2 года назад +8

    I love how Kevin has the exact same vibe as Austin from game theory..

    • @mubarakzain6041
      @mubarakzain6041 2 года назад +1

      Now that you say about it, it's kind of true.

  • @knucklejoe8
    @knucklejoe8 2 года назад +6

    This makes an interesting comparison and dynamic in the science/math RUclips 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

  • @TimFuzail
    @TimFuzail Год назад +3

    “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.”
    ― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

  • @Skippy0330
    @Skippy0330 2 года назад +1

    "Follow the science" because science is never used maliciously

  • @andrewg.3281
    @andrewg.3281 2 года назад +4

    Imagine his son having to go back to school and tell his teacher that the fbi took his homework

  • @Dan-Simms
    @Dan-Simms 2 года назад +3

    Confirmation bias: the ima do my own research thing, that half of the US seems to support.../sigh.