How does metadata help in legal cases? Find out more with File Republic
What is metadata?
Metadata is data that provides information about other data. It’s like a summary or a description that makes finding and working with instances of data easier. For example, in the context of a document, metadata may include information such as the author, the date of creation, and keywords associated with the document’s content. In digital photography, metadata can refer to the camera settings, the date the photo was taken, and the location. Metadata helps in organising, discovering, and managing data by providing context and relevant details that are essential for efficient use of the data itself.
How does metadata help in legal cases?
Metadata plays a critical role by providing detailed information about the creation, handling, and modification of documents and electronic files, which can be pivotal in establishing the authenticity and integrity of evidence.
Here are some specific ways metadata is used in legal cases:
- Provenance and Authenticity: Metadata can show the origin of a document or file, including who created it, when it was created, and on what device. This information is crucial in proving that a document is genuine and has not been tampered with.
- Timeline Reconstruction: In legal disputes, the chronology of events can be crucial. Metadata provides timestamps for when documents are created, modified, and accessed, helping to reconstruct the sequence of events or actions related to the case.
- Version Control: Metadata can track the revision history of a document, showing all changes made, who made them, and when. This can be critical in cases where the document’s history is relevant to the dispute.
- Discovery Process: During the discovery phase of litigation, parties are required to produce relevant documents. Metadata helps in searching and filtering through large volumes of data to identify relevant documents based on criteria like date ranges, authors, or keywords.
- Compliance and Auditing: Metadata can demonstrate compliance with regulations requiring certain actions to be taken on documents, such as viewing, editing, or securing confidential information. It also supports auditing processes by providing a trail of document and data handling activities.
- Intent and Behaviour Analysis: Metadata can provide insights into the behaviour and intent of individuals involved in a case. For example, metadata could reveal patterns of action, such as the frequent deletion of potentially incriminating emails or documents.
Metadata provides a layer of data intelligence that can significantly impact the outcome of legal proceedings by offering insights that are not apparent from the content of the documents alone.
File Republic’s formula for total file confidence is a ten-stage process which occurs upon ingestion of all new digital matters.
Prior to conversion of the matter to PDF/A (the ISO standard for long-term preservation) all metadata is extracted and preserved in XMP format to prevent any data loss.
Metadata is also processed and indexed to be used in our powerful and intuitive search functionality, making it easier to find the intricate detail which can be vital to your case.
In the final stages of the lightning-fast process, a cryptographic seal is applied to the matter, to ensure that all data stored is certified as tamper-proofed and remains admissible in proceedings.
With the volume and velocity of evidence created in the digital realm increasing exponentially it is easy to see that metadata is now vital to modern legal practice and uncompromising firms need to factor this into their software partnerships and workflow.
