Defining the Usability of Digital Forensics in Criminal Proceedings: Reconciling the Technical and the Legal Sides
Hoppmann T, Lassak L, Sasse MA, Freiling F, Benenson Z (2026)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Conference contribution, Conference Contribution
Publication year: 2026
Series: DFDS '26
City/Town: New York, NY, USA
Event location: Linköping
ISBN: 9798400721205
Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1145/3785318.3785324
Abstract
Digital forensic methods and tools play a vital role in the handling of digital evidence within criminal proceedings. To apply these methods and tools in a satisfactorily manner, both digital forensic experts and legal professionals need to understand the scope, the potential and the limitations of these instruments from the viewpoint of their respective side, thus creating a shared understanding on which interdisciplinary collaboration can prosper and which is often lacking in practice. We address this challenge by formulating the creation of a common understanding as a problem of usability. Inspired by usable security approaches, we argue that applying usability to digital forensics in criminal proceedings can bridge the gap between the digital forensics and the legal domain by considering human, organizational, and technical factors.
Authors with CRIS profile
Tobias Hoppmann
Graduiertenzentrum der FAU
Felix Freiling
Lehrstuhl für Informatik 1 (IT-Sicherheitsinfrastrukturen)
Zinaida Benenson
Lehrstuhl für Informatik 1 (IT-Sicherheitsinfrastrukturen)
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Hoppmann, T., Lassak, L., Sasse, M.A., Freiling, F., & Benenson, Z. (2026). Defining the Usability of Digital Forensics in Criminal Proceedings: Reconciling the Technical and the Legal Sides. In Association for Computing Machinery (Eds.), Proceedings of the DFDS 2026: Digital Forensics Doctoral Symposium. Linköping, SE: New York, NY, USA.
MLA:
Hoppmann, Tobias, et al. "Defining the Usability of Digital Forensics in Criminal Proceedings: Reconciling the Technical and the Legal Sides." Proceedings of the DFDS 2026: Digital Forensics Doctoral Symposium, Linköping Ed. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 2026.
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