Abstract
Background: Privacy is a human right, but what
happens when a person’s privacy rights encounter
legitimate police investigations? Is it even possible to
carry out these investigations in a privacy-respecting
way? If the person being investigated makes use of
privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), how does this
impact digital forensics investigations?
Aim: The aim of our study was to identify how
privacy rights and the use of PETs influence police
digital forensics practices.
Methods: We carried out a study with 10 digital
forensics investigators from UK police forces to explore
how considerations of privacy and citizens’ PET use
inform or affect digital forensics investigations.
Results: We identified specific uses of
privacy-related principles that ought to apply in
digital forensics investigation, and hindraces to digital
forensics investigations from citizens’ use of PETs.
Conclusions: We concluded with potential
implications for practice and ideas for future research to
reconcile the law enforcement activities with individual
citizens’ inalienable privacy rights.
