Digital (electronic) evidence in criminal proceedings

This work is devoted to the study of the essence of digital evidence, special attention is paid to the conceptual apparatus. The author’s vision of the terms “digital information” and “digital evidence” is proposed and justified in the work. In our opinion, the use of these terms is most appropriate for the purposes of criminal proceedings because of their capacity relative to the terms “computer” and “electronic” information. The sphere of information circulation has expanded due to the emergence of modern digital systems that have replaced the analog signals that were common until recently. These processes have led to the fact that the crimes committed today in the field of information technology cover a wider list of acts in comparison with the computer crimes established in the criminal law. A special danger of crime in the field of digital information is connected with the fact that information and telecommunication technologies have become an integral part of the life of every modern person, thereby transforming industrial society and information society. The changes that have taken place have caused a surge in threats to information security caused by the processes of globalization of information processes, the counteraction of which requires the adoption of adequate and modern measures by state authorities.