Trustworthy and useful tools for mobile phone extraction

Data collected from mobile phones can be a valuable resource in the investigation of crime. However, the processes of collecting, handling and analysing such data can raise various ethical concerns. In this position paper we focus on mobile phone extraction (MPE) in the context of the UK criminal justice system. We describe how it is a phenomenon of interest to the ethics of computing and then outline the aims and emerging findings of our own research in this area. We point to the potential for digital tools to address some of problems currently associated with MPE but also highlight the existence of wider contextual constraints that limit the impact technical interventions alone can make.