Internet Consulting Expert Witnesses: 5

Jessie Stricchiola has over 23 years of experience in the fields of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Digital Marketing, and  Internet Technologies. She is the founder of Alchemist Media, Inc., a digital marketing consultancy launched in 2002 that provides various internet and search engine marketing consulting services, including SEO, website development, web analytics, and digital marketing strategies.

Ms. Stricchiola began studying search algorithms and digital information discoverability in 1997, and was first employed as a full-time search engine optimization (SEO) specialist in 1998. She is co-author of The Art of SEO, (O’Reilly Media, 1st Ed. 2009, 2nd Ed. 2012, 3rd Ed. 2015, 4th Ed, 2022), a treatise on the practice of SEO that has been used as required or recommended reading in courses at Georgetown University, USC, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, the University of Wisconsin, Syracuse University, the University of Mumbai, the City University of Hong Kong, and others.  

Ms. Stricchiola has been a presenter and/or moderator at various search engine and internet industry conferences since 2002, including Ad:tech, O'Reilly's Web 2.0, Pubcon, Shop.org, FOO Camp (O’Reilly), Search Engine Strategies, Search Marketing Expo (SMX), and others.  She is credited with having been the first to identify Click Fraud in the PPC (pay per click) industry in 2001. Her work on this issue has been featured in numerous media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired.com, CNN Money, and in The Google Story (First Edition, David a. Vise).

Litigation Support - Jessie Stricchiola has been qualified as an Internet Discoverability, Web Analytics, and Search Engine Optimization Subject Matter Expert in two US Federal District Courts, the Federal Court of Canada, and various California Superior Courts. Her services include pre-file case evaluation and research, expert consultant (non-testifying) engagements, and expert witness testimony at deposition and trial including claims construction and related testimony for patent litigation. CV available upon request

Parties to Litigation: U.S. Government, Uber Technologies Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Online Inc., Yahoo! Inc., Dyson Technologies, Inc., IHG Hotels & Resorts, FremantleMedia, and others.

Areas of Expertise:

Internet / Web Forensics Digital Data Discoverability Digital Content Archives Search Engine Visibility Click Validity Measurement Internet Investigations Website Traffic Analytics

Open Source Data Internet and Digital Marketing Website Development E-commerce Web Analytics Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Intellectual Property - Trademark, Patent, Prior Art

 View Alchemist Media Inc.'s Consulting Profile.

Chris Silver Smith is an Internet Marketing Expert who has served in lawsuits involving search engine optimization (SEO), search advertising (Pay-Per-Click advertising / PPC), social media, domain names, and more.

Mr. Smith bears the distinction of long occupying the topmost organic rankings for searches for "SEO Expert Witness", establishing that he is a not only able to speak to the theory of search engine optimization, but is also able to practice it. Smith's legal work has enabled his clients collectively to be awarded more than $94 million in their court cases, and his clients prevailed in the majority of cases he has served upon.

Litigation Support - Mr. Smith helps large companies and large brand names protect their marks in trademark infringement cases and online defamation cases. He has served as an expert on behalf of PODS Enterprises, Starbucks, Versace, GoDaddy, Adidas, and others. He does not assist companies involved with gambling, porn, recreational pharmaceuticals, tobacco, alcohol, multi-level marketing, or cults.

Specializations:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  Search Advertising (PPC)  Google Ads Search Certified

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Tumblr, etc) Domain Names Defamation & Reputation Management

Background Experience - Mr. Smith has a diverse background as he was self-taught programming in high school, and was first trained in hypertext, the protocol subsequently succeeded by HTML, which continues to be the dominant markup language for webpages. Smith also learned higher-level C programming language in college, and later went on to work for a decade for Verizon where he ultimately was head of the technology department for one of the company's largest websites. In his roles at Verizon, Mr. Smith performed software development in multiple internet programming languages that included a proprietary Verizon language, PERL, PHP, and JAVA. 

Mr. Smith also provided user-interface design and served as an analyst. He was promoted to overseeing multiple developers and teams for usability research, search engine development, SEO, graphic design, internet analytics, advertising system design, and advanced research. As the company's pioneer in SEO research, Mr. Smith was awarded the company's highest honor, the Individual Excellence Award, for increasing search engine referral traffic and associated revenues. Smith's contribution also resulted in multiple patents awarded for search and presentation technologies.

After leaving Verizon, Mr. Smith worked for a couple of prominent and exclusive internet marketing companies before founding his own agency at Argent Media™.

Chris Silver Smith has long been a writer for Search Engine Land, one of the industry's top news and information websites for search engine marketing, and he has spoken at numerous conferences on his areas of expertise. 

View Argent Media™ Consulting Profile.

Summary

Mr. Pflaum is the Director of Complex Software Litigation at Quandary Peak Research where he leads teams of experts in a variety of intellectual property, contract, fraud, and computer forensics cases. Since 2013, Mr. Pflaum has specialized in advising clients on software-related intellectual property, software project failure, and contract disputes. Mr. Pflaum has testified as an expert at deposition and trial and has extensive experience reviewing and reverse engineering software source code, architecture, and designs. Mr. Pflaum has reviewed and rendered opinions relating to source code written in a variety of programming languages and relating to a broad range of technologies, including mobile and IoT devices, industrial and automotive controls, consumer and medical devices, and e-commerce and enterprise systems and websites. Mr. Pflaum is also an attorney and registered patent agent with professional experience in financial services and software development.

Software Review Experience (Languages)

C/C++/C#, Obj-C (iOS), Swift,  SQL, Java, Kotlin, VB.Net, COBOL, JS, TS, PHP, Python, GoLang, Ruby, CodeSys, MatLab, Fortran, VHDL, Assembly, TEAL 

Software Review Experience (Industries)

•    Software project failure (Government software procurement, public benefits administration, Out of the Box (OOTB), Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS), customizations, configurations, add-ons and extensions to ERP, SAP, and IBM products)

•    E-commerce and enterprise systems and websites (e.g., SaaS, COTS, OOTB and custom applications, AWS, Azure, IBM, and SAP)

•    Mobile devices (e.g., applications and operating systems for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets), Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensor networks, and consumer electronics (e.g., set-top boxes and portable media players)

•    Industrial and automotive controls and machine vision (e.g., robotics and factory automation technologies, automotive throttle, braking controls, communication systems, CAN bus communications protocols and designs, and functional safety technology), and on-Chip and on-board controllers including power management and memory access controllers

•    FinTech (e.g., loan underwriting, insurance and benefits administration, consumer credit reporting, cryptographic protocols, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and peer-to-peer messaging systems)

•    Medical and analytical devices and electronic medical record databases

Shawn H. Malone, CISSP, CTPRP, CTPRA, is an award winning Information Security and Cyber Risk Expert.  He has over 35 years of experience delivering Cybersecurity Solutions and Third-Party Risk Management Programs to the financial services, insurance, consulting / advisory, and defense industries.  

Mr. Malone has degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Network Security.  He co-developed industry leading Third Party Risk Management professional certification. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP) and Certified Third-Party Risk Assessor (CTPRA). 

Litigation Support - Shawn Malone provides effective consulting and advisory support including expert witness services in Cybersecurity and Third Party Risk matters.   His service are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant and include high quality reports, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Security Program Deficiencies Cybersecurity Standard of Care Malware Events Vendor Cyber Incidents Secure Communication Systems

Network Security Data Protection / Data Breach Security Program Management Security Policy Development Compliance Oversight Negligence

View Security Diligence, LLC's Business Consulting Profile.

Setec Investigations offers unparalleled expertise in computer forensics and electronic discovery, providing highly personalized, case-specific forensic analysis and litigation support services to assist in the investigation, handling, and prosecution of computer-related crimes or misuse.

Setec Investigations combines today's most advanced computer forensics and litigation support expertise with a business- and legal-friendly approach, resulting in a sound analytical foundation that carefully balances critical investigative requirements with vital legal and evidentiary needs.

Setec Investigations incorporates a cross-disciplinary team comprised of computer forensic investigators, attorneys, law enforcement specialists, and seasoned business professionals who have established a proven track record of success since 1997.

Services Overview

Setec Investigations possesses the necessary combination of technical expertise, understanding of the legal system, and specialized tools and processes enabling the discovery, collection, investigation, and production of electronic information for investigating and handling computer-related crimes or misuse.

Explore our range of service offerings:

Computer Forensic Investigations

Computer forensics and enterprise investigation services identify, gather, analyze, and preserve electronic evidence to establish a sustainable posture for internal or legal action.

Electronic Discovery

Manage large volumes of electronic data and quickly identify and isolate electronic evidence that is critical to the success of a litigation.

Litigation Support

Legal consultants and attorneys translate litigation issues into strong case strategies that effectively utilize electronic evidence.

Expert Witness

Supports the resolution of security incidents and active litigations by offering impartial and independent expert testimony, opinions, and customized reports in legal proceedings.