We always talk about how the CSI effect causes juries to require more "a ha" evidence these days, but I think it has been detrimental on another front as well. I think it gives perps insider info they wouldn't have otherwise had--info that provides a possible roadmap for avoiding detection. Nothing is foolproof, thank goodness, but I can envision a potential perp watching CSI shows/trials like this thinking, "Hmmm, so if they can detect 'a' by using 'b,' I'll do 'x' to avoid leaving 'y.'"
I'm sure they (LE) hold back a lot of things (I hope so), but I cringe a bit at the things we learn during these trials.
This computer info is a good example. I find it fascinating, as I did in the BC trial, but if I was looking to do someone in, I now know a lot more about how info is stored than I did previously.