Chapter 11 explores how German criminal procedure, in the same way as German substantive criminal law, builds on a main body of legislation that was drafted in the nineteenth century. While the German Code of Criminal Procedure has been amended numerous times – also with the intention to address digital transformation and the shift to an information society – the obtaining of digital evidence (in particular from service providers), its analysis and its transformation into evidence introduced in a criminal trial remain areas with many challenges, uncertainties of legal interpretation and need of legislative reform. This chapter aims to provide an overview of core themes of digital evidence in criminal justice and the cooperation of service providers in criminal matters in Germany – in particular those that seem of most relevance to an international audience.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous disruption of clinical, research, and academic services around the world. This chapter focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on clinical trials and reflects upon the various measures taken to continue research work while minimizing risk to participants. Through careful observations, we conclude that it is imperative to continue Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug development programs. With proper infection prevention protocols and precautions in place, it is possible to preserve the safety of both study participants, and investigators/research staff while moving forward with essential drug development processes for the benefit of study participants, and patients in general. Such protocols, once perfected, need to become a part of all institutional review boards and study protocols in order to avoid any loss or delay of essential work in the future.