Mobile telecommunication devices as carriers of important evidentiary information: prospects and research problems

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems of studying modern mobile telecommunications. The relevance of the work is determined by the fact that today there is no sphere of public life where modern electronic means of communication are not used. Any activity to maintain its level requires the active use of modern technical communicators that allow almost instantaneous receipt, processing, and sending of large amounts of information. A significant part of such technical devices are mobile phones or smartphones, which are one of the most common tools (means) in the commission of criminal offences.
 A mobile phone, like any other instrument or means of committing a crime, leaves traces in space and time when it is used. Some of these traces are electronic (digital), which are stored on the phone itself. The research paper examines the main ways to obtain information stored on a mobile device, in particular, through: 1) inspection of the device at the scene of the incident; 2) investigative inspection of the device already seized during criminal proceedings; 3) appointment and conduct of forensic examination. The investigative examination has a serious advantage over the appointment of an expert examination in the context of the speed of its conduct and obtaining results. This is a very important factor, especially if the required information is either small in volume or in the public domain. However, the review completely excludes the process of examining the phone. A detailed investigation is part of a forensic examination, which is a much longer process in terms of procedural, organisational and technical aspects. However, the amount of information obtained in this case is incomparably greater and some of the information can be obtained only through in-depth analysis of the contents of the mobile device. In addition to the prospects of these approaches, the paper also highlights some problems associated with the preparation and conduct of expert investigations of mobile phones or smartphones, in particular, procedural and technical ones (the need to obtain permits for the use of destructive research methods, the lack of necessary technical and software equipment for experts, etc.).