Evidencia digital de WhatsApp en la justicia ecuatoriana: Revisión sistemática (2020-2025)
Palabras clave:
evidencia digital, WhatsApp, forense móvil, prueba digital, cadena de custodia, cifrado E2EE, COIP, Ecuador, PRISMA 2020Resumen
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/ig.v9i17.0346
Resumen
La presente investigación desarrolla una revisión sistemática de literatura sobre el tratamiento legal y técnico de la evidencia digital de WhatsApp durante el período 2020–2025, conforme al protocolo PRISMA 2020. La búsqueda se practicó en Scopus, IEEE Xplore y Google Scholar, consultado este último con Publish or Perish, mientras que Rayyan, Zotero y Parsifal respaldaron el cribado y la organización documental, lo que permitió retener 47 estudios de un universo inicial de 3.068 registros. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el sistema de justicia de Ecuador no posee criterios definidos para el tratamiento de la prueba digital extraída de Whatsapp, lo cual se relaciona con el cifrado de extremo a extremo, la naturaleza efímera de ciertas comunicaciones y las dificultades asociadas a la autenticación y la integridad del material probatorio. En resumen, la conclusión manifiesta la necesidad de Ecuador de establecer un estándar técnico-jurídico propio, compatible con estándares internacionales y alineado a las exigencias forenses particulares de esta plataforma.
Palabras clave: evidencia digital, WhatsApp, forense móvil, prueba digital, cadena de custodia, cifrado E2EE, COIP, Ecuador, PRISMA 2020.
Abstract
This study develops a systematic literature review on the legal and technical treatment of WhatsApp digital evidence between 2020 and 2025, in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 protocol. The search was conducted in Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar (queried via Publish or Perish), while Rayyan, Zotero, and Parsifal supported the screening and documentary organization, allowing 47 studies to be retained from an initial universe of 3,068 records. The results indicate that Ecuador’s justice system lacks defined criteria for handling digital evidence extracted from WhatsApp, which is related to end-to-end encryption, the ephemeral nature of certain communications, and the challenges associated with authentication and the integrity of evidentiary material. In summary, the conclusion highlights the need for Ecuador to establish its own technical and legal standard, compatible with international standards and aligned with the specific forensic requirements of this platform.
Keywords: digital evidence, WhatsApp, mobile forensics, digital proof, chain of custody, E2EE encryption, COIP, Ecuador, PRISMA 2020.
Información del manuscrito:
Fecha de recepción: 09 de marzo de 2026.
Fecha de aceptación: 20 de mayo de 2026.
Fecha de publicación: 15 de junio de 2026.
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