Ubiquitous access to interconnected mobile devices and other advanced communications systems has transformed how we live, work, and communicate, enabling global communication with the touch of a finger to a smartphone screen. This expansion of interconnectedness is something we all depend on; however, it has also provided criminals with a new tool and created major worldwide challenges for law enforcement investigators.

Today, the “footprints” left at the “scene” are no longer physical pieces of evidence, but digital traces that can be accessed from anywhere in the world through smartphones or computers. These are the modern-day fingerprints that we, law enforcement, use to uncover offenders and increase public safety. We need access to this digital information to solve crimes, locate perpetrators, protect victims, and ensure successful prosecutions.

The ever-growing global challenge we are facing is that laws have not kept pace with technology. This disconnect has created a significant public safety problem, which, in the law enforcement community, we commonly refer to as “Going Dark.”