Ethical, legal and professional issues in digital forensics

Digital forensics or computer forensics is an emerging discipline in the field of computer security specifically and information technology, in general, which “involves obtaining and analyzing digital information for use as evidence in civil, criminal, or administrative cases (Nelson et al., 2010, p. 2).”
With regard to the use of computers and information technology, it is essential for a computer professional to understand, assess and evaluate the underlying ethical, legal and professional issues pertaining to its use. On similar lines, it is important that the computer forensic investigator understands the legal, ethical and professional implications related to practice of digital forensics.
This paper, first, briefly gives background literature on digital forensics, the best practices of digital forensics; then goes on to explaining what is meant by issues related to ethics, law and professional code of conduct in general, and then highlights the a) ethical principles b) laws and bylaws, and c) professional codes of conduct, in the realm of digital forensic investigation.
This paper should not be considered to be a complete account of the field of digital forensics; rather an overview of the filed in context with computer ethics specifically touching the legal, ethical and professional challenges (discussion is restricted to laws and professional bodies/organizations in the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) only).