Digital communication, cloud services and connected devices have long been a feature of criminal investigations. Electronic evidence is now of central importance in many proceedings – whilst at the same time fundamentally changing the demands placed on the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

With the growing importance of digital traces, questions regarding the preservation, integrity and availability of electronic evidence are coming to the fore, as are cross-border access to data and its integration into digital procedural workflows. At the same time, it is essential to uphold the guarantees of the rule of law and to implement new European and national requirements in practice in such a way that investigations become more efficient without undermining legal protection and procedural fairness.

How is e-evidence changing the work of investigative authorities, courts and the defence? What technical and legal prerequisites are necessary to use digital evidence efficiently and in a legally compliant manner? And how can a modern digital infrastructure help to make criminal proceedings fit for the future?