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The Role of the Iranian Cyber Police and Official Experts in Establishing the Credibility of Electronic Evidence
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Fatemeh Khani1   , Mohamad Khany , Seyed hadi Sedaghat , Mohsen Naseri Pouryazdi |
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Abstract: (4 Views) |
The expansion of information technologies and the growing reliance of criminal justice systems on digital data have made electronic evidence a central means of proof in criminal proceedings. Yet its intangible, mutable, and vulnerable nature exposes it to alteration, deletion, manipulation, and disruption of the chain of custody, thereby requiring specialized mechanisms to ensure authenticity, integrity, and admissibility. This study examines the role of the Iranian Cyber Police (FATA) and official court-appointed experts in validating electronic evidence and identifies the principal legal and technical challenges affecting its detection, collection, documentation, preservation, and evaluation. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the research draws on library sources, statutory provisions, legal instruments, and relevant scholarly literature, analyzed through an interdisciplinary legal and technological approach. The findings show that FATA plays a fundamental role in crime detection, identification of digital sources, seizure and extraction of data, and preservation of the chain of custody. Official experts perform a complementary and specialized function by conducting technical examinations, verifying data authenticity and integrity, analyzing metadata, and detecting manipulation. However, the lack of unified national standards, institutional fragmentation, shortages of qualified personnel, insufficient professional training, and limited technological literacy among some judicial authorities reduce the effectiveness of this process. The study concludes that strengthening the evidentiary reliability of electronic evidence requires national protocols, structured cooperation between FATA and official experts, advanced training, improved judicial technological literacy, and continuous quality-control mechanisms.
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Article number: 7 |
| Keywords: Electronic Evidence, Iranian Cyber Police, Official Court-Appointed Experts, Chain of Custody, Criminal Proceedings. |
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Full-Text [DOCX 45 kb]
(1 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/07/30 | Accepted: 2026/07/31 | Published: 2026/07/31
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