The line-up has been announced for a keenly-awaited international conference on standards for computer forensics due to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland in two months time.

The FIDES04 (Forensic Institute Digital Evidence Symposium 2004) has attracted worldwide support with speakers from the USA, India and Norway as well as the UK participating in the event. The conference is organised by the Forensic Institute and computer forensics firm N-Gate.

FIDES04 will be chaired by Angus Marshall of the Centre for Internet Computing at the University of Hull. Marshall was recently-involved as a forensic computing examiner in the investigation of the disappearance and murder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst. Graham Coutts, 35, of Hove in Sussex, was sent to prison for life this week after being found guilty of Longhurst's murder.

Marshall said: "Digital Evidence plays a major part in everyday life and deserves to be treated as a serious subject. Forums such as this offer an excellent opportunity for business, law-enforcement, academia and interested parties to share experience, knowledge and ideas".

Experts in the field such as Warren Kruse will be running workshops on digital evidence principles and research papers will cover everything from advanced Internet crime investigation to recovering data from digital photocopiers. Data recovery and computer forensics firms such as industry leaders Vogon and Guidance Software will be presenting papers on techniques and tools at the conference.

Derek Wyatt MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group, will give the opening address on the first day of the event.

The conference will close with a brainstorming workshop on the development of international standards for computer forensics.

It takes place in Edinburgh’s Airport Hilton Hotel on March 1 and 2 and day packages (including workshop, lectures, coffees and lunch) cost £200 or there’s a two day package for £320. Interested parties can sign up for the conference, or peruse its agenda here.

Proceedings of the conference will be published on CD-ROM and a selection of papers will be published in the Spring 2004 issue of the International Journal of Digital Evidence. ®

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