Police Scotland has failed to meet official standards for gathering evidence from mobile phones four years after a watchdog first asked it to make improvements, says a new report.
The force examines thousands of electronic devices such as mobile phones and iPads each year as part of evidence gathering. The gadgets are analysed at so-called cyber-kiosks in police stations, or sent to specialist digital forensic hubs for detailed examination.
The data extracted from devices include contacts, photos, emails and private messages.
But concerns that Police Scotland may have broken data protection and human rights laws by introducing cyber-kiosks sparked a probe by the Scottish Parliament and the UK Information Commissioner.