DFS 570 - Legal Principles of Digital Investigations

This course discusses advanced legal issues related to the seizure of digital devices. The course will review such laws as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFA), Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA), and Privacy Protection Act(PPA), with particular attention paid to evolving decisional law surrounding the Fourth Amendment and devices. Liaison to other agencies, law of other countries, and international laws will also be examined. Issues related to trial preparation, presentation of digital evidence, use of expert witnesses, and providing testimony will be examined in detail. Special attention will be paid to jurisdictional differences related to digital investigations and cybercrime, particularly as they relate to rules of evidence; e.g., Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) compared with the different state standards based on Frye, Daubert, or other criteria. Students for this course will be expected to have basic familiarity with criminal law and procedure.
Prerequisite(s): Complete DFS-501.
Credit(s): 3