Module 7: Principals of Digital Forensics and Cyber Law

A 12-Unit Module that Started on March 2023 and was Covered in 12 Weeks by Maria Alvanou


Tasks and Assignments Done throughout this Module

Below is a breakdown of the activities done weekly during the 12-Unit Module.

  1. Week 1: Unit 1 - The Law and Legal Systems
  2. After going through a Lecture cast, books and a having a introductory lecture, I got to explore the implications and limitations concerning cybercrime law.

    Introduction to the paradigm of law - asking the question: What is law?, as well as aspects of the law was also covered.

  3. Week 2: Unit 2 - Principles of Evidence and Proof
  4. We looked at issues concerning proof and the issues concerning the standard and burden of proof.

  5. Week 3: Unit 3 - What is 'Evidence' Anyway?
  6. We had a Lecture cast and book reading that focused on exploring the topic of evidence gathering in the context of cybercrime, as well as the difficulties of identifying evidence, and how this has been affected by legislation.

    Reading also included specific examination of the work of collecting evidence and the problems in connecting a suspect to the alleged crime.

  7. Week 4: Unit 4 - Continuity and Reliability
  8. With the use of books, practical examples and reading activities, we learned the quality and reliability of evidence.

    We also read on different methods of evidence gathering; that is inconsistency of application which might lead to complications when the crime is transnational. The focus, as it has been in the past two weeks, is on evidence gathering by focusing more on the human-aspect of evidence gathering.

  9. Week 5: Unit 5 - Virtual Crimes and Tangible Harms
  10. With the use of a Lecture cast, books and a lecture, we explored issues concerning victims and the different harms suffered from a cybercrime.

    The reading introduced the limitations of some legal jurisdictions in addressing vulnerabilities and victims' suffering.

    We also got to evaluate the feasibility of legal systems of protecting the public from cyber-harms that it does not necessarily recognise in legislation.

  11. Week 6: Unit 6 - Cybercrime and Social Perception
  12. It explored public perceptions and public opinion about internet crime, whereby, being awareness of these perceptions is important because in liberal democratic states, public opinion plays an important role in shaping public policy.

    We also explored the issues concerning social perceptions concerning cybercrime, and also how the costs of cybercrime and its harm have affected the extent of this being dealt with effectively by the Criminal Justice System (CJS).

    We were also tasked on carrying out research to create a case study analysis on a particular cybercrime in the country of our choice through the UNODC database on cybercrime.

    Below is my presentation in pdf and its transcript.

    Research Presentation in pdf

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    Research Presentation Transcript

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  13. Week 7: Unit 7 - Rights in Cyberspace
  14. After going through a Lecture cast, books and a having a lesson with the Lecturer, I gained knowledge of the human rights in the context of the cyberspace.

    I got to investigate issues concerning the tension between competing interests, and the need to find a balance between rights such as the right to privacy and the right of freedom of expression.

    I got to critically consider whether these rights have any meaning in a digital landscape, and whether when we put something 'out there' do we lose ownership of it.

    Finally, I also investigated the effects and efficiency of the Data Protection legislation in ensuring compliance (The GDPR will be discussed in the relevant lecturecast).

  15. Week 8: Unit 8 - Digital Deviance
  16. We explored a very difficult question: why individuals commit cyberspace crimes. This is an important question, because the answer(s) might affect the way this crime is dealt with.

    We also evaluated whether traditional criminological theories can explain this sort of deviance, or whether there is need to rethink our understanding of the reasons why people engage in cyber harmful activities.

    We assessed the extent criminological theories can make sense of cyberspace deviance.

  17. Week 9: Unit 9 - The Investigative Context and Investigative Pitfalls
  18. We had a Lecture cast and book reading that explored issues concerning the digital investigate process.

    We got to address issues concerning reporting, investigative agencies, and knowledge management. These will be addressed in national, international and transnational contexts.

    We also reflected on issues concerning the admissibility of evidence digital evidence in court.

    We had an Assessment that was to examine how we explore the challenges and opportunities of regulating and policing cyberspace. The assessment was to write a Blog Post that Investigates Cybercrime: Problems and Solutions' in my country. Below is the essay that I handed out.

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  19. Week 10: Unit 10 - Policing in a Digital Landscape
  20. With the use of books, practical examples and reading activities, we explored issues concerning policing in a digital context. The learning addressed national, transnational and international nature of tackling cybercrime while considering issues concerning cooperation and problems related to jurisdiction.

    We also got to review our peers' blog posts

  21. Week 11: Unit 11 - The Expert Witness
  22. With the use of a Lecture cast, books and a lecture, we looked at concerns related to the digital expert witness.

    The learning led towards the questioning of bias and accuracy, as well as expertise.

  23. Week 12: Unit 12 - Ethics in the Digital Landscape
  24. It focused on the future of the Internet: How a number of alternative next generation internet solutions will operate and how these solutions address key challenges.

    We had an Assessment that was to examine my critical evaluation of the different types of evidence and collection, and presentation techniques. The assessment was to carry out an extensive independent research and produce an Expert Report on all possible aspects of cyber-identity theft that apply to the country in question. Below is the report that I submitted.

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    Contact

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