Τhe challenges posed by cloud storage in digital forensics

Abstract

Internet’s ever-evolving capabilities make life easier for everyone, including people on the wrong side of the law. One of the most fascinating ideas of the last decade is having electronic data readily available and easily accessible, while their physical storage environment is kept away, protected and running by third parties that respect and safeguard the privacy of the content. This thesis details a comprehensive approach towards “Cloud Storage” and the practical obstacles that law enforcement authorities have to overcome when trying to uphold the law and protect a state’s citizens, without compromising a criminal suspect’s rights to privacy and due procedure. It examines different legal approaches to 3 main challenges (territoriality, possession, capture procedure) that arise due to the technological wonders that wrongdoers have at their disposal.