THE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING AND USING CRIMINALLY SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION FROM FILE METADATA IN THE DETECTION AND INVESTIGATION OF CRIMES

Modern technologies and the digitalization of society have led to the fact that most of the information in the world is stored and transmitted electronically. This circumstance opens up new opportunities for law enforcement agencies in the detection and investigation of crimes. In today's world, where technology plays a key role in society, digital footprints are becoming an important element in crime investigation. Everyone has already got used to the fact that the main object of computer expertise in the field of computer information is the contents of files. However, such an important area as the study of file metadata remains underestimated in the investigation process. Metadata is an integral part of mod-ern crime investigation, providing investigators with valuable data for analysis and helping to restore the chronology of events and actions of persons associated with the crime. In the field of digital fo-rensics, special attention should be paid to the study and analysis of electronic traces that can be found in metadata. The issues of using file metadata have been touched upon in one way or another by many scien-tists, such as L.A. Buraeva [1], V.A. Gauzhaeva [2], R.R. Kardanov [3], Yu.M. Usoltsev [4], A.S. Arutyunov [5] and others. However, these authors made only an attempt to draw attention to the use of metadata in the investigation of crimes. Metadata may contain information about the time the file was created, its author, location, and other data that can be used in proving criminal cases. Metadata in the commission of crimes related to the use of information and telecommunication technologies can be compared with micro-objects in the commission of traditional crimes. Both are invisible traces, which are not so easy to destroy and to which few criminals pay attention. At the same time, they can provide significant assistance to the investigation in uncovering and investigat-ing crimes. This article attempts to draw the attention of the scientific world and employees involved in the preliminary investigation of crimes to the problems and possibilities of using metadata in the process of disclosure and investigation of crimes.