Decisio: Journal of Judicial Law and Procedure
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2026): July 2026

Digital Evidence and the Digital Procedural Divide: Rethinking Equality in Global Cybercrime Adjudication

Hamdani Padli (UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, Indonesia)
Nilam Sukmawati (UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, Indonesia)
Ilhamda Fattah Kaloko (Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jul 2026

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed evidentiary governance in cybercrimecases, where electronic evidence is increasingly stored beyond the territorial jurisdiction ofinvestigating states. Although various international legal instruments have been developed tofacilitate access to cross-border digital evidence, existing scholarship has primarily focused onissues of jurisdiction, digital sovereignty, and international cooperation. This article argues that amore fundamental challenge lies in unequal access to digital evidence and its implications forprocedural inequality in cybercrime adjudication. Employing normative legal research with atransnational legal approach, this study conducts a conceptual analysis of international legalinstruments, regulations governing electronic evidence, and scholarly literature on cybercrime anddigital governance. The analysis combines doctrinal, comparative, and critical methods to examinethe relationship between access to digital evidence and procedural equality. The findings revealthat jurisdictional fragmentation, the dominance of global digital platforms as data gatekeepers,and disparities in investigative capacities among states have created structural inequalities in accessto cross-border electronic evidence. To explain this phenomenon, the article develops the conceptof the Digital Procedural Divide, defined as a structural disparity in the ability of states and legalactors to obtain, authenticate, and utilize digital evidence in criminal proceedings. The studydemonstrates that unequal access to digital evidence may undermine the principles of equalitybefore the law, due process, and access to justice. It concludes that global digital evidencegovernance should be reoriented from a narrow focus on investigative efficiency toward thepromotion of procedural equality in cybercrime adjudication.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

decisio

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Education Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Decisio: Journal of Judicial Law and Procedure is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing scholarship in the field of judicial law and procedural law. The journal aims to provide a platform for rigorous legal analysis, critical discourse, and interdisciplinary research focusing on ...