Abstract

Technology, in the modern era, witnessed a remarkable development to reach a new revolution that had an impact on the various aspects of life, which is the information technology revolution, or as it is called the electronic age. These scientific achievements were accompanied by the emergence of new types of crimes, which were not known before, crimes which may not be proven without evidence that help in uncovering the crime. Therefore, the crime has shifted from its traditional pattern to new patterns as criminal professionals benefited from advanced means and advanced modern technology in committing their crimes. Therefore, the criminal tries in various ways to hide the evidence proving that he committed the crime or attributing it to him, and this is what necessitated confronting this type of crime. So, the UAE legislator has worked hard to criminalize tampering with digital evidence that helps in reaching the perpetrator and enabling the competent authorities to take action and arrest the suspects and bring them to justice. Digital evidence is one of the most prominent developments of the modern days came to suit the scientific, technological and technical revolution of our current era. Therefore, in this study, we dealt with the nature of digital evidence and its characteristics, then explained the elements of the crime of tampering with digital evidence, which the UAE legislator has criminalized in Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2021 regarding combating rumors and cybercrime.