ACCESS DENIED: National Digital Evidence Policy Proposed

The Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report calling for a national digital evidence policy. While 19 percent of investigators surveyed said not being able to access data on a device was their top issue, 30 percent said their biggest challenge was not knowing which companies held the investigative data they needed. “Challenges in accessing data from service providers — much of which is not encrypted — [represent] the biggest problem that they currently face…the status quo is not sustainable. Law enforcement faces significant problems in identifying which providers have what information and thus obtaining needed data, even when there is a clear need for the data and a legal basis to access it. Limited resources and disparities in how resources are distributed leave many offices without the tools and resources they need to effectively access and analyze critical information.  Link to report here (thank you, Bill Speros)
ACEDS