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Smartphones Drive 97% of Investigations, AI Holds Promise

2/9/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Cellebrite's survey of 1,200 practitioners across 63 countries finds smartphones are the primary source of digital evidence in 97% of investigations.
Ninety-five percent say digital evidence improves solvability, while 94% report increased complexity.
Review time is the main bottleneck in case progression.
Sixty-five percent see AI's potential to expedite investigations, but policy restrictions affect nearly one-third.

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Story summary

Cellebrite's survey of 1,200 practitioners across 63 countries finds smartphones are the primary source of digital evidence in 97% of investigations.
Ninety-five percent say digital evidence improves solvability, while 94% report increased complexity.
Review time is the main bottleneck in case progression.
Sixty-five percent see AI's potential to expedite investigations, but policy restrictions affect nearly one-third.