A new report from Magnet Forensics highlights growing challenges around evidence access, collaboration, and AI-generated media in public sector digital investigations.
The inaugural Public Sector Digital Investigations Report, based on a survey of more than 300 professionals working with digital evidence, examines where investigations are getting stuck and what agencies say they need to improve outcomes.
Among the findings, four in five respondents said they had been unable to access digital evidence they believed existed within the past 12 months. The report also found that:
- 68% say acquiring relevant digital evidence takes more time than it did two years ago.
- 69% experience delays caused by evidence sharing, handoffs or collaboration.
- 56% have encountered manipulated, synthetic or AI-generated media, while only 17% are confident their agency can identify it.
The research also points to greater integration as a potential way forward. 84% of respondents said stronger integration across tools, teams and workflow stages would improve outcomes.
The report explores these findings in greater detail, giving public sector digital evidence professionals an opportunity to compare their challenges and priorities with those of their peers and consider how agencies can adapt as digital investigations become increasingly complex.
Read the Public Sector Digital Investigations Report to explore the full findings.
