Digitalization changes criminal protection of citizens' rights and freedoms

The widespread use of modern digital technologies has raised a number of complex issues related to the investigation and resolution of criminal cases before law enforcement specialists. The mechanism for bringing to criminal liability by introducing a new crime related to the use of digital technologies into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, proposed by legal theorists, turned out to be an unsuccessful solution. This is due to the fact that there is an increase in the number of crimes related to digital technologies in one way or another. In this regard, this study becomes especially relevant. The purpose of the study is to determine how digitalization affects the protection and defense of public relations within the framework of criminal law. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: identify the signs of crimes committed using digital technologies; determine the most effective ways to counter such crimes; point out the mistakes that cybercriminals most often make when committing crimes. The following methods are used in the work: determinism, systemic, logical, comparative legal and functional. Conclusions: Digitalization transforms the methods of committing crimes, increases their latency and complicates the investigation and resolution of criminal cases. However, this process can be facilitated by involving highly qualified specialists (experts) in the field of high technology. The most vulnerable point in the process of committing a crime by a cybercriminal is the exchange of digital currency for regular money, which occurs through a bitcoin exchanger. Having studied it, you can identify the owner of the crypto wallet. The use of digital technologies (including cryptocurrency) as a method or instrument of crime should be recognized as an aggravating circumstance under Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This is due to the increased public danger of this type of crime.