TEL AVIV, Feb 6, 2026, 11:22 (GMT+2)
- In a global survey, smartphones emerged as the leading source of digital evidence in 97% of investigations.
- Most respondents agreed digital evidence improves solvability but also increases workloads; agencies express interest in AI, though policies limit use.
- Cloud evidence-sharing is slowly gaining ground, yet portable drives and USB sticks remain the top choice, bringing custody and access concerns along with them.
According to Cellebrite’s 2026 Industry Trends Report, smartphones now serve as the primary source of digital evidence in criminal probes, showing up in 97% of cases. 1 .
This shift is significant since investigators now view phone data as the foundation rather than an afterthought, given how much daily life revolves around apps, messages, and location info. It’s reshaping case construction and speeding up investigations.
The survey also reveals growing demands on police labs and investigative teams, just as agencies face pressure to deliver results while navigating stricter policies and governance around new technology.
Cellebrite, known for its digital evidence collection and analysis tools, surveyed 1,200 practitioners across 63 countries for its seventh annual look at investigative trends. According to the report, 97% of agency managers said their communities expect digital evidence to play a role in the majority of cases.
“Digital evidence is where many of our investigations start these days,” said James Howe, a detective with the Columbus, Ohio, Division of Police, in remarks featured in the report.
Regarding capacity, 95% of public-safety respondents agreed that digital evidence boosts solvability. Yet, 94% also reported that growing complexity is stretching their caseloads thin. Just 62% of agency leaders indicated they are reallocating resources from traditional methods toward digital strategies.
Review time emerged as the main bottleneck. Two-thirds of those surveyed pointed to it as the top hurdle in progressing cases, an issue that intensifies as investigators wade through massive amounts of messages, media files, and app data, the report stated.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, caught attention as a potential solution to reduce the review workload, but it’s not accessible to everyone. According to the report, 65% of public-safety respondents believe AI could speed up investigations, yet almost a third said their agency’s policies bar its use.
Governance and public consent are still delicate issues. “The relationship between the public and the police is fundamental,” said Matt Scott, a UK police and crime commissioner. He emphasized that any deployment of AI or automation must come with proper consultation and safeguards.
Cloud adoption is increasing, but at a measured pace. The survey shows “receptiveness” to cloud-based digital evidence management hitting 42% in 2026, a slight rise from 38% in 2025. Yet, two-thirds of those surveyed continue to share evidence using portable hard drives and USB sticks.
This is crucial since the “chain of custody” — the official log of who handled evidence and when — grows tougher to maintain as files get copied and passed between parties. The report noted this can bog down collaboration between agencies and raise the chances of access-control failures.
In the private sector, 54% of respondents identified eDiscovery — the process of gathering and producing electronic records for legal cases — as the leading use case, with data theft (46%) and network exploits (44%) close behind, the report noted. “When used responsibly, AI enables teams to accelerate their work without compromising control or accountability,” said Colin Duncan, an eDiscovery technologist at law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.
Cellebrite’s Chief Marketing Officer David Gee insisted the data leaves agencies with no option but to modernize. “Digital evidence is the backbone of modern justice,” he said, highlighting the growing use of the company’s Guardian evidence and case-management platform.
However, the survey also highlighted hurdles that could slow the shift: policies restricting AI use, a reliance on physical media for sharing evidence, and a disconnect between acknowledging the issue and reallocating staff and budgets. If these barriers remain, investigators might deal with growing backlogs even as demand for digital-focused casework climbs.
In late trading, Cellebrite’s shares on Nasdaq slipped roughly 2.5%, settling at $13.59, based on market data.
