Mutual Legal Assistance in Cybercrimes

Prosecuting cybercrimes requires access to data related to criminal cyber activities. While wanted computer data which is in fact evidence of crime may be loaded on a system or a server in territory of other state. In this situation prosecutors’ access to them may cause the violation of that state’s sovereignty. Unless this is done through international cooperation with that state. Cooperation in this area is often done through mutual legal assistance. Legal assistance is a traditional and a known method of international cooperation in criminal matters. But the characteristics of cyber space and computer data affect legal assistance in cybercrimes. This essay is trying to clear the different dimensions of these effects and who they work. The characteristics of cyber space and compute data have made the usage of legal assistance important in fighting cybercrimes and also have caused the initiation of new forms of legal assistance. In addition, these characteristics have caused some problems in mutual legal assistance.