Extraction of information from a cellular phone (mobile communication device) during investigative (search) actions

Abstract

The relevance of the study is substantiated by the need to develop a system for procedural registration of information (statements) withdrawn from a mobile phone using hardware and software complexes, the content of which proves the involvement of a person in the commission of a criminal offence, since such a documentation mechanism has not been developed in practice. The purpose of the study was to highlight theoretical and applied approaches to the legal support of investigators’ actions to extract information from a mobile phone found at the incident scene. In accordance with the set goal and specifics of the subject of research, a set of the following methods was applied: formal logical, system and structural, hermeneutical, modelling, and generalisation. The study considers the actions of the investigator during the pre-trial investigation of criminal offences, when a cellular phone (mobile communication device) was found at the incident scene, which makes it necessary to use special knowledge. The profile and qualification of a specialist who needs to be involved in the inspection of a mobile phone are determined depending on the purpose and objectives of the investigative (search) action, established primary data on the nature of a criminal offense. A procedure for obtaining information (computer data) from a cellular phone (mobile communication device) is proposed, which provides for the creation of an “image”/electronic report of available information, which is recorded on a digital medium in the form of a file, fixed with an electronic label as a checksum. The practical value of the study lies in the procedural solution of the issue of extracting information (statements) from mobile phones, which is important during pre-trial investigation and documentation of digital information (computer data)