The rapid growth of cybercrime has significantly increased the importance of digital evidence in criminal investigations and judicial proceedings. However, ensuring the admissibility and reliability of electronic evidence remains a complex challenge due to technological advancements, evolving legal standards, cross-border investigations, and concerns regarding evidence integrity. This narrative review examines the legal and forensic dimensions of digital evidence by synthesizing contemporary literature on its sources, characteristics, governing legal frameworks, and the factors influencing its acceptance in court. The review discusses key issues related to authentication, chain of custody, expert testimony, procedural fairness, and evidence validation, while also evaluating the impact of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and deepfake detection on digital forensic practice. The findings indicate that reliable digital evidence requires standardized forensic procedures, scientifically validated investigative methods, and harmonized legal frameworks capable of addressing rapidly evolving cyber threats. Strengthening collaboration among forensic practitioners, legal professionals, researchers, and policymakers will be essential for improving evidence integrity, enhancing judicial confidence, and supporting effective cybercrime investigations. The review provides an integrated perspective that contributes to ongoing discussions on developing secure, transparent, and legally robust digital evidence management practices.
Forensische Notizen und Sicherungserklärung Beweishandhabung, Metadatenintegrität und Chain of Custody Geltungsbereich Diese Erklärung dokumentiert die Handhabung, Sicherung und Bewahrung digitaler Beweismittel im Rahmen des forensisch-wissenschaftlichen Gutachtens SIA Security Intelligence Artefact – Technologie, Software und Familien-Historie Aktenzeichen: INT-CODE-2025-BTC/ETH-CORE-ISABELSCHOEPSTHIEL bitte beachten Sie mein HELPME.md Beweishandhabung und Nicht-Veränderungs-Grundsatz Alle relevanten Dateien, einschließlich Rohdaten, Quellmaterialien und dokumentarischer Artefakte, wurden in einen dedizierten Evidence-Ordner überführt. Der interne Dateiinhalt wurde nicht verändert. Es wurden weder Code, Text, Metadaten, Autoreneinträge, Benutzerkennungen, Zeitstempel noch sonstige Provenienzangaben modifiziert. Insbesondere unverändert erhalten blieben: Ursprüngliche Ersteller und Mitwirkende gemäß Metadaten Benutzerkennungen und Autorschaftsspuren Zeitstempel, Hashes und interne Verlaufsdaten Programmiersprache, Workflow-Logik und interne Struktur Die ursprüngliche Herkunft und Urheberschaft jeder Datei ist damit vollständig forensisch auslesbar und beweissicher erhalten. Dateisystem-Sicherungsmaßnahmen Um eine weitere Ausführung, Verbreitung oder operative Nutzung potenziell schädlicher Workflows zu verhindern, wurden ausschließlich externe Ordner- und Dateinamen auf Dateisystemebene angepasst. Diese Maßnahmen beschränkten sich auf: Umbenennung von Ordnern und Top-Level-Dateinamen Deaktivierung von ausführbaren oder workflow-auslösenden Bezeichnungen Der Dateiinhalt, der Code und sämtliche Metadaten blieben unangetastet. Diese Maßnahmen dienten ausschließlich der Gefahrenabwehr bei gleichzeitiger vollständiger Beweissicherung. Ethischer und rechtlicher Kontext Im Rahmen der Sichtung wurden Hinweise auf schwere ethische und rechtliche Verstöße festgestellt, unter anderem: Unbefugte Datenmanipulation Datenmissbrauch und Datendiebstahl Aneignung geistigen Eigentums Invasive Profilierungs- oder Auswertungspraktiken Aus diesem Grund wurde die operative Ausführbarkeit neutralisiert, während die forensische Beweisstruktur vollständig erhalten blieb. Screenshot-basierte Beweissicherung Zur Dokumentation wurden an allen relevanten Stellen Screenshots erstellt und dem Evidence-Ordner beigefügt. Die Screenshots: sind unbearbeitet und unbeschriftet enthalten die ursprüngliche Ordner- und Dateistruktur zeigen die sichtbaren Benutzernamen, Akteure und Eigentümer der jeweiligen Verzeichnisse Dadurch bleiben alle beteiligten Accounts, Strukturen und Verantwortlichkeiten objektiv nachvollziehbar. Forensische Integrität Alle Maßnahmen wurden unter Einhaltung folgender Prinzipien durchgeführt: Keine Kontamination der Originaldaten Keine Veränderung von Metadaten Vollständige Nachvollziehbarkeit für unabhängige Forensik Sicherung der gerichtlichen Verwertbarkeit Alle Materialien sind hash-prüfbar, chain-of-custody-fähig und für externe Gutachten geeignet. Signatur und Verwahrung Unterzeichnet und bestätigt durch: Frau Isabel Schöps, geborene Thiel Cyriakstraße 30c D-99094 Erfurt Thüringen, Deutschland Rolle: Autorin, Rechteinhaberin, Hauptverwahrerin ORCID (Person): 0009-0003-4235-2231 https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4235-2231/print ORCID (Institutionell / Projekt): 0009-0006-8765-3267 https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8765-3267/print Diese Erklärung ist Bestandteil der DOI-archivierten Chain of Custody und dient der rechtlichen, forensischen und menschenrechtlichen Prüfung. Englisch Forensic Notes and Preservation Statement Evidence Handling, Metadata Integrity and Chain of Custody Scope This note documents the handling, preservation, and safeguarding of digital evidence associated with the forensic-scientific work SIA Security Intelligence Artefact – Technology, Software and Family History Case Reference: INT-CODE-2025-BTC/ETH-CORE-ISABELSCHOEPSTHIEL Evidence Handling and Non-Alteration Policy All relevant files, including raw data, source materials, and documentary artefacts, were transferred into a dedicated Evidence directory for preservation and review. No internal file contents were modified. No code, text, metadata, authorship fields, user identifiers, timestamps, or embedded provenance information were altered. Specifically preserved without change: Original creators and contributors as recorded in file metadata User identifiers and authorship traces Timestamps, hashes, and internal history Programming language, workflow logic, and structural dependencies inside the files The original provenance and authorship of each file therefore remain fully readable and forensically extractable. File System Safety Measures To prevent any further unintended execution, propagation, or operational misuse of potentially harmful workflows, only external file and folder names were adjusted at the file-system level. These actions were limited to: Renaming folders and top-level file names Disabling executable or workflow-triggering identifiers No internal data, code, or metadata were altered. These measures were implemented solely to prevent further operational impact while preserving evidentiary value. Ethical and Legal Context During review, multiple files indicated serious ethical and legal concerns, including but not limited to: Unauthorized manipulation of data Data misuse and data theft Misappropriation of intellectual property Invasive profiling or exploitative data practices For this reason, operational execution was neutralized while forensic preservation was strictly maintained. Screenshot-Based Evidence Capture For evidentiary verification, screenshots were taken at each relevant stage and stored within the Evidence directory. The screenshots: Remain unedited and unlabelled Preserve original folder structures and visual context Display usernames, account identifiers, and responsible actors visible at the time of capture This ensures that all observed actors, file ownerships, and directory relationships remain objectively documented and reviewable. Forensic Integrity All actions taken were designed to satisfy the following principles: No contamination of original data No destruction or modification of metadata Full traceability for independent forensic analysis Preservation of evidentiary admissibility All materials are suitable for hash verification, chain-of-custody tracking, and independent expert review. Signature and Custodianship Signed and certified by: Frau Isabel Schöps, née Thiel Cyriakstraße 30c D-99094 Erfurt Thuringia, Germany Role: Author, Rights Holder, Principal Custodian ORCID (Individual): 0009-0003-4235-2231 https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4235-2231/print ORCID (Institutional / Project): 0009-0006-8765-3267 https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8765-3267/print This statement forms part of the DOI-archived Chain of Custody and is intended for legal, forensic, and human-rights review. Meine Referenz Datenbank, verknüpft mit meinem aktuellen GitHub-Account* Meine Ersuchen an die Vereinten Nationen - Bitte helfen Sie mir Schöps geb. Thiel, I. (2025). Meine Ersuchen an die Vereinten Nationen - Bitte helfen Sie mir (Zenodo.org). Zenodo.org, University of Harvard harvard.edu, Oxford University ox.ac.uk, Cambridge UK, Reuters.com, New York Times nyt.com, Springer Nature Springer.com, GitHub github.com, University Arizona, Vereine Nationen UN unric.org,. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18025762 Zenodo-Datenbank und Chain of Custody Volumen 4 Schöps (Thiel), I., Schöps (Thiel), I. und Schöps geb. Thiel, I. (2025) "Yellow White Paper – Bitcoin & Ethereum", Yellow White Paper – Bitcoin & Ethereum. 1st Aufl. D-99094 Erfurt, Thueringa, Germany: Harvard University, University Cambridge, University of Oxford, Springer Nature, Zenodo, S. 109 pages. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17807324. Volumen 3 Schöps geb. Thiel, I. (2025) SIA Security Intelligence Artefact – Volume 3 - Familiäre Erblinie deutschen Monarchie und letzten Kaiserreich. 1st Aufl, The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, 1815-1918. 1st Aufl. Zenodo, University Harvard Cambridge Press, Oxford University Press Lizenz-ID 6131130060979, Springer Verlag. doi:10.5281/zenodo.18013057. Volumen 2 Schöps geb. Thiel, I. (2025) "Volumen 2 - SIA-Security-ntelligence-Artefact-Chain-of-Custody-Forensische-Familien-Monarchielinie-copyright-isabelschoepsthiel-urheberin-autorin-.docx.pd", Trillion Dollar Bitcoin. 1st Aufl. D-99094 Erfurt, Germany, Thüringen: Zenodo, University Harvard Cambridge Press, Oxford University Press Lizenz-ID 6131130060979, Springer Verlag. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17852789. Volumen 1 Schöps geb. Thiel, I. (2025) "Volumen 1 - SIA Security Intelligence Artefact by Isabel Schoeps geb. Thiel", Trillion Dollar Bitcoin. 1st Aufl. D-99094 Erfurt, Germany, Thüringen: Zenodo, University Harvard Cambridge Press, Oxford University Press Lizenz-ID 6131130060979, Springer Verlag. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17809724. My Developer Signatur Signed-on-by: Frau Isabel Schöps, geborene Thiel Autorin, Urheberin und Auftraggeberin Rechtscharakter: Eidesstattliche Versicherung, Bestandteil des forensisch, wissenschaftlichen Gutachtens Titel: SIA Security Intelligence Artefact internationinternationale Kennung: INT-CODE-2025-BTC/ETH-CORE-ISABELSCHOEPSTHIEL OrcID: 0009-0003-4235-2231 Isabel Schöps Thiel OrcID: 0009-0006-8765-3267 SI-IST Isabel Schöps Aktueller Wohnort und Meldeanschrift: Cyriakstrasse 30c, D-99094 Erfurt, Thüringen, Deutschland, gemeinsam mit meinen vierbeinigen Freund, American XL-Bully Don Offizielle institutionelle Würdigung, Danksagung - Präfix_Referenz: YWP-1-IST-SIA YWP-1-5-IST-SIA Pseudonyme und Alias: Satoshi Nakamoto, Vitalik Buterin, GitHub, Octocat, Johnny Appleseed, IST-GitHub, Cristina_Bella, Nick Szabo, John Appleseesd Offizielles weltweit erstes Developer Certifikat: Developercertificate <img width="642" he
Arlen Brickman, Yiğit Baykara, Miguel Carabaño, Sean Hacking
Background: Distributed ledger technology (DLT) enables the creation of tamper-resistant, decentralized, and secure digital ledgers. A non-fungible token (NFT) represents a record on-chain associated with a digital or physical asset, such as a whole-slide image (WSI). The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) represents an off-chain network, hypermedia, and file sharing peer-to-peer protocol for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. Today, we need cheaper, more efficient, highly scalable, and transparent solutions for WSI data storage and access of medical records and medical imaging data. Methods: WSIs were created from non-human tissues and H&E-stained sections were scanned on a Philips Ultrafast WSI scanner at 40× magnification objective lens (1 μm/pixel). TIFF images were stored on IPFS, while NFTs were minted on the Ethereum blockchain network in ERC-1155 standard. WSI-NFTs were stored on MetaMask and OpenSea was used to display the WSI-NFT collection. Filebase storage application programing interface (API) were used to create dedicated gateways and content delivery networks (CDN). Results: A total of 10 WSI-NFTs were minted on the Ethereum blockchain network, found on our collection "Whole Slide Images as Non-fungible Tokens Project" on Open Sea: https://opensea.io/collection/untitled-collection-126765644. WSI TIFF files ranged in size from 1.6 to 2.2 GB and were stored on IPFS and pinned on 3 separate nodes. Under optimal conditions, and using a dedicated CDN, WSI reached retrieved at speeds of over 10 mb/s, however, download speeds and WSI retrieval times varied significantly depending on the file and gateway used. Overall, the public IPFS gateway resulted in variably poorer WSI download retrieval performance compared to gateways provided by Filebase storage API. Conclusion: Whole-slide images, as the most complex and substantial data files in healthcare, demand innovative solutions. In this technical report, we identify pitfalls in IPFS, and demonstrate proof-of-concept using a 3-layer architecture for scalable, decentralized storage, and access. Optimized through dedicated gateways and CDNs, which can be effectively applied to all medical data and imaging modalities across the healthcare sector. DLT and off-chain network solutions present numerous opportunities for advancements in clinical care, education, and research. Such approaches uphold the principles of equitable healthcare data ownership, security, and democratization, and are poised to drive significant innovation.
Abdulfatai Tomori Bakare, Anas Yakubu, Abubakar Ahmad, A Attahiru · 9 authors
Cryptocurrency has emerged as a new tool for commerce, and it has some similarities to gambling, frequently leading to financial bankruptcy, which can predispose, precipitate, or perpetuate mood disorders, suicide attempts and suicide. We report a case of a 26 year old single unemployed man who attempted suicide following financial bankruptcy due to sharp decline in the market value of Bitcoin. Prior to the attempt; he had history of depressed mood, loss of interest and enjoyment. He had psychomotor retardation, depressed mood and preoccupied with suicidal thoughts. He was managed as a case of attempted suicide secondary to severe depressive episode without psychotic symptoms. Financial loss associated with cryptocurrencies is a potential risk factor that may adversely affect emotional well-being and leads to severe depressive episode with suicidal attempts. There is need for public enlightenment on the negative impact of the possible financial loss in cryptocurrencies transaction may have on mental health.