The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Workshop highlights digital evidence in crime detection

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 10, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Workshop highlights digital evidence in crime detection

Staff Reporter

It is information of probative value, says expert

CHENNAI: Computer technology presented new challenges to social policy pertaining to privacy, said A. Sivamurthy, chairman, Indian Society of Criminology.

Inaugurating a workshop on "Digital evidence" organised recently by the Criminology Department of Madras University and the Indian Society of Criminology, Dr. Sivamurthy said the acquisition of digital evidence began when information and/or physical items were collected or stored for examination purposes.

The term `evidence' implied that the collector of evidence was recognised by courts.

A data object or physical item only became evidence when so deemed by a law enforcement official.

Data objects were objects or information of potential probative value that were associated with physical items.

Hence, digital evidence was information of probative value, stored or transmitted in digital form, Dr. Sivamurthy said.

Guidelines, standards

"In order to meet new challenges we need to have detailed information on computer crime cases registered by the police, particularly the modus operandi. We must have guidelines and standards for the recovery, preservation and examination of digital evidence, including audio, imaging and electronic devices both at the national and international level. We must also evolve a computer crime police and programme to prevent computer crimes and enforce existing laws concerning computer crimes."

Rama K. Subramaniam, director and CEO, Valiant CISS Tech, said digital evidence had three levels — appreciation level, understanding level and standards level.

Digital evidence was generated through the computer application process, he said.

Presentation

A. Navaneetha Krishnan, Member, Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, made a presentation on "Techno legal issues in collecting and interpreting the digital evidence."

Entire human activities had become digital. So knowledge on technology and law must be updated.

R. Thilagaraj, head, Department of Criminology and secretary, Indian Society of Criminology, spoke.

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