What do you think are the two top ethical concerns in digital forensic investigations and why are these such important concerns? In addition to sharing your two top ethical concerns, discuss two ethical guidelines you think should be in place regarding recovery and investigation and why.
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n my opinion, the top two ethical concerns in digital forensic investigations are the practices of obtaining evidence lawfully and the evidence is protected from damage or alteration. This is because it is important to maintain the integrity and validity of any digital evidence obtained during an investigation, just like any other piece of evidence in an investigation.
In regards to ethical guidelines, I believe there needs to be more effort in ensuring knowledge and understanding the concept of digital evidence. According to Richard Boddington (2016), “the legal fraternity and clients really do not always have a clear understanding of computer systems and are often in the dark as to the validity and significance of the digital evidence presented to them.” Without widespread understanding, there is potential for misperception or misuse of the recovered digital evidence. I also believe that there needs to be a clear and concise standard protocol for forensic processes that all need to follow. Without a standard protocol in place, cases may rely on information and testimony “based on faulty forensic science analyses, which is believed to have contributed to wrongful convictions” (Boddington, 2016). Apart from that, Boddington (2016) states that the “absence of standard protocols governing forensic practice in a given discipline and uncertainty about the validity of many forensic processes and practices is surprisingly not uncommon.”
References
Boddington, R. (2016). Practical Digital Forensics. Packt Publishing.
One of the biggest concerns of ethics in a digital investigation is the breaching of privacy. This is because some people recommend that companies, such as Apple, should create a backdoor for law enforcement to easily access people’s devices and see what they are doing. However, the issue with creating this backdoor is that it can easily be accessible to people with malicious intentions. The second concern of ethics in a digital investigation is the exploitation of digital investigation tools. This is a concern because some of the software that digital investigators use is open-source, which means it is open for anyone to use that software. Open-source tools may be configured to harm a digital investigation and that is why it is a concern (Balogun & Zuva, 2017).
The most effective way of addressing ethical issues is by taking legal measures. This is because something as serious can and will be changed by a legal measure. The second way to address ethical issues is by educating. Providing training that will broaden the mind will help in ethical issues being resolved (Balogun & Zuva, 2017).
Balogun, A. M., & Zuva, T. (2017, November 1). OPEN ETHICAL ISSUES IN DIGITAL FORENSIC SYSTEMS. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/440434&ved=2ahUKEwjF1_v_2rz0AhVgoXIEHWpaC8EQFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw09t_sPsDBeDoQZiwZeEz7Z.
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