Chandramouli, KrishnaKrishnaChandramouliHorincar, RoxanaRoxanaHorincarJacobe de Naurois, CharlotteCharlotteJacobe de NauroisPallmer, DirkDirkPallmerFaure, DavidDavidFaureMüller, WilmuthWilmuthMüllerDemestichas, KonstantinosKonstantinosDemestichas2022-10-262022-10-262022https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/42797310.1002/9781119834175.ch11Technological advances are rapidly and radically changing human society, with “smart” sensors and gadgets penetrating almost all facets of daily life. The mass availability of these technologies has resulted in an exponential increase in the quantity of generated data. Together with the simultaneous exponential growth in computing power, this has driven rapid advances in the application of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). These developments in the fields of data availability and AI technologies present even greater challenges for law enforcement and policing, while simultaneously opening huge opportunities. Complementing the benefits of these technologies by the law enforcement authorities, criminals are also equally exploiting technology. A part of the digital world is the increasing abundance of digital evidence; from CCTV footage to emails to phone records, evidence has now gone digital and there is a requirement to ensure it is accessible, readable, and has long-term integrity when current technology, systems, or formats have been replaced or decommissioned. There is a further requirement for a seamless interface between policing and the criminal justice system to ensure digital evidence can be presented easily and without delay. As the quantity of data being used in criminal investigations becomes increasing larger, there is a critical need to maintain records tracing the origin and processing of evidence collected in digital format to authenticate the validity of the evidence. Addressing this need, the multimediaanalysis and correlation engine for organized crime prevention and investigation (MAGNETO) project proposed the use of blockchain technologies for tracking and recording the processing of information within the big-data architecture of the criminal investigation platform. The novelty of the proposed framework relies on the use of semantic technologies for knowledge formalization and the use of immutable technology based on hashing solutions to prevent evidentiary modifications. The platform addresses the need for mitigating the impact of cognitive bias to ensure the investigation platform offers objectivity in processing evidence.enBlockchain Technologies for Chain of Custody Authenticationbook article