Electronic Discovery: An Introduction

Electronic Discovery, or "e-discovery", is a process used by the courts to find information on a computer to use in a court case. There are many different kinds of information that can be discovered electronically, some of which include e-mails, instant messaging chat logs, documents, spreadsheets, audio files, website history and picture files.

The purpose of e-discovery is to find evidence that can be used for a particular court case from a computer that is either connected to a network - like the internet - or has been confiscated and is physically searched by government commissioned hackers. Sometimes, the computer is taken and a digital copy of the hard drive is created.

Paper evidence can be destroyed by many simple means, but electronic information is stored such that even if you delete it from your computer, there is a way to get it back the same way it was removed. This is an advantage because people who try to hide what they have done will have a much more difficult time doing so.

Electronic discovery is not limited to a single computer's hard drives, either. If any information has been passed over a network, like the internet or an email account, it will remain in several locations to be found by anyone looking in the right place. This makes deleting this particular type of thing even more difficult.

Many types of files can be used as evidence including picture, audio, and animation files. Email and databases are up for grabs, as well. Instant messages, texts, blog posts, and any computer programs can contain evidence, too. Anything contained within these can be used as evidence against you in court when you are accused of a crime.

Electronic discovery is a field that continues to grow with technology, and constantly struggles to keep up with it. Most of the hackers create worms and viruses, only to have firewalls and other defenses simply try to stay with the pace that they come out. Certain companies will try to make software based on this information, as well.

If you think you are safe from this kind of invasion, you shouldn't feel that way. No computer, cell phone, email account, or any source of information is safe from electronic discovery. No way of deleting the things on your computer will remove it entirely. Some say throwing it in a lake or using a magnet will work, but it won't.

Do a little more research to find out more about electronic discovery. It is important for people to be involved in the legal system of their government. Let people know what you think is constitutional in terms of privacy and what can be used against you. If a hacker uses your computer to do something illegal, should you be punished?