Smart Digital Forensic Readiness Model for Shadow IoT Devices

Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects for communication and data sharing. However, these devices can become shadow IoT devices when they connect to an existing network without the knowledge of the organization’s Information Technology team. More often than not, when shadow devices connect to a network, their inherent vulnerabilities are easily exploited by an adversary and all traces are removed after the attack or criminal activity. Hence, shadow connections pose a challenge for both security and forensic investigations. In this respect, a forensic readiness model for shadow device-inclusive networks is sorely needed for the purposes of forensic evidence gathering and preparedness, should a security or privacy breach occur. However, the hidden nature of shadow IoT devices does not facilitate the effective adoption of the most conventional digital and IoT forensic methods for capturing and preserving potential forensic evidence that might emanate from shadow devices in a network. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a conceptual model for smart digital forensic readiness of organizations with shadow IoT devices. This model will serve as a prototype for IoT device identification, IoT device monitoring, as well as digital potential evidence capturing and preservation for forensic readiness.

Collecting Digital Evidence from Online Sources: Deficiencies in Current Polish Criminal Law

The importance of digital evidence, especially online content, is continuously increasing due to the proliferation of digital technologies in socio-economic life. However, the legal means of criminal evidence gathering in Polish legislation remain unchanged and do not take into account some contemporary challenges. In various countries, traditional rules of evidence gathering were created in the context of a physical world. These rules may be insufficient to safeguard the forensic soundness of evidence gathering methods. Inadequacies of current procedures may be especially visible in the context of transborder digital evidence gathering from online open sources. This article describes the practical shortcomings of Polish criminal evidence law in the context of digital evidence with particular attention to online open-source materials. Empirical data indicate that existing legal limitations are bypassed in practice to enable evidence collection. This unfortunately often happens at the expense of the forensic soundness of digital evidence.

Selected Considerations Regarding the Digitalisation of Criminal Proceedings in Light of the Standards of the Council of Europe: Analysis Taking into Account the Experience of the Current Pandemic

The aim of the article is to prepare an analysis in order to formulate propositions regarding the digitalisation of Polish criminal proceedings as regards the administration of justice. These hypotheses would have merited consideration even pre-pandemic, but they demand even more attention as a result of the pandemic. The pandemic has served to highlight the pre-existing necessity to adapt criminal law to the latest observable technical and technological advances. In light of the above, the first issue to be analysed concerns the conditions, procedures, and possibilities surrounding the collection of evidence electronically, taking into account the most recent relevant guidelines of the Council of Europe. The second issue to be examined will be the adaptation of criminal procedures, including Polish, to the standards stipulated in the Convention of the Council of Europe on Cybercrime of 23 November 2001, in light of national norms regarding evidence gathering. The third issue that will be assessed in this study will be the benefits, risks, or potential of the application of artificial intelligence algorithms in criminal procedure. The consideration of each of the three areas will have regard to the present global pandemic. The article concludes with a concise summary containing the authors’ conclusions and propositions de lege ferenda.

A 10-Year Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Agenda for ADRD: Reflection on a New National Academies Report

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) was charged with developing a ten-year agenda for research in the behavioral and social sciences that would substantially contribute to reducing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The report, expected to be publicly released in June 2021, has been developed by a committee of individuals with expertise across a range of disciplines and fields, including dementia research. The committee was charged with assessing the role of the social and behavioral sciences in reducing the impact of dementia. The committee held several evidence-gathering sessions, reviewed published literature, commissioned several papers, and engaged individuals living with dementia and caregivers as a part of an Advisory Panel to the committee. This presentation will engage attendees in a discussion about the ten-year behavioral and social science research agenda related to dementia produced by this NASEM committee.

In Search of Effective Principal Appraisal

<p>The board of trustees of each New Zealand state and integrated school is responsible for the performance appraisal of its principal. Empirical data on the effectiveness of the appraisal for principals and boards is scarce. This research set out to describe principal appraisal within a region containing approximately one tenth of New Zealand schools. A survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the 2006 appraisal was completed by the principal and/or chair of just under half the schools in the region. The results suggest four critical success factors: the way in which the appraiser is selected and their personal qualities; the fairness and clarity of the process; the specific expectations that principals and chairs have of the outcome; and the completeness and congruity of principals' and chairs' understanding of appraisal. The reported experiences were mostly positive. However, understanding and resourcing of effective practice was found to be limited. A professional external appraiser and good interpersonal chemistry are dominant contributors to a satisfying appraisal experience. A functioning process with adequate resourcing and time for evidence gathering and evaluation, appear to be important appraisal prerequisites but do not guarantee a satisfying outcome. Unsatisfying appraisal experiences can be traced to a lack of clear understanding of appraisal aims and practice, together with resources to support their development. It is further compounded by the transient nature of boards. Four key action programmes are suggested to address shortcomings and recommendations are outlined for key stakeholders.</p>

In Search of Effective Principal Appraisal

<p>The board of trustees of each New Zealand state and integrated school is responsible for the performance appraisal of its principal. Empirical data on the effectiveness of the appraisal for principals and boards is scarce. This research set out to describe principal appraisal within a region containing approximately one tenth of New Zealand schools. A survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the 2006 appraisal was completed by the principal and/or chair of just under half the schools in the region. The results suggest four critical success factors: the way in which the appraiser is selected and their personal qualities; the fairness and clarity of the process; the specific expectations that principals and chairs have of the outcome; and the completeness and congruity of principals' and chairs' understanding of appraisal. The reported experiences were mostly positive. However, understanding and resourcing of effective practice was found to be limited. A professional external appraiser and good interpersonal chemistry are dominant contributors to a satisfying appraisal experience. A functioning process with adequate resourcing and time for evidence gathering and evaluation, appear to be important appraisal prerequisites but do not guarantee a satisfying outcome. Unsatisfying appraisal experiences can be traced to a lack of clear understanding of appraisal aims and practice, together with resources to support their development. It is further compounded by the transient nature of boards. Four key action programmes are suggested to address shortcomings and recommendations are outlined for key stakeholders.</p>

Victims’ Proactive Role in the Evidence-Gathering Process at the icc: Toward an Expressivist Justice Model

The Rome Statute (rs) of the International Criminal Court (icc) failed to reach a fair degree of legal certainty for the role of victims, leaving the task of defining the scope of their participation to the Chambers. As result, the Court allowed victims to present and examine evidence on their initiative. However, no effort has been made, either at the icc or in the scholarship, to provide a justification for this modality of victims’ participation. This article posits that the icc’s approach to victims’ active role in the evidence-gathering process is key for expressivist purposes, which see victims as a crucial constituency of the trial, able to contributing to conveying disavowal of the atrocities committed, crafting historical records and reinforcing the respect for basic human rights. An expressivist foundation for this modality of victims’ participation has the potential to reinvigorate our understanding of the evidence-gathering process at the icc.

Building the case for the use of gut-feelings in cancer referrals: perspectives of patients referred to a non-specific symptoms pathway

Background: Gut-feelings may be useful when dealing with uncertainty that is ubiquitous in primary care. Both patients and GPs experience this uncertainty but patients’ views on gut-feelings in the consultation have not been explored. Aim: To explore patients’ perceptions of gut-feelings in decision-making, and compare these perceptions to those of GPs. Design and setting: Qualitative interviews with 21 patients in Oxfordshire, UK. Methods: Patients whose referral to a cancer pathway was based on their GP’s gut-feeling were invited to participate. Semi-structured interviews were conducted November 2019-January 2020 face-to-face or over the telephone. Data were analysed with a thematic analysis and mind mapping approach. Results: Some patients described experiencing gut-feelings about their own health but often their willingness to share this with their GP was dependent on an established doctor-patient relationship. Patients expressed similar perspectives on the use of gut-feelings in consultations to those reported by GPs. Patients saw GPs’ gut-feelings as grounded in their experience and generalist expertise, and part of a process of evidence gathering. Patients suggested that GPs were justified in using gut-feelings because of their role in arranging access to investigations, the difficult ‘grey-area’ of presentations, and the time and resource limited nature of primary care. When GPs communicated that they had a gut-feeling, some saw this as an indication that they were being taken seriously. Conclusion. Patients accepted that GPs use gut-feelings to guide decision-making. Future research on this topic should include more diverse samples and address the areas of concern shared by patients and GPs.