EVIDENCE INTEGRITY
Keep the original.
Check the record.
Understand what digital integrity can establish, where events came from, and what remains outside the record.
File fingerprint, not item authentication
ILLUSTRATIVE COMPOSITIONEVIDENCE INTEGRITY
A fingerprint for the files. Context for the people.
- 01
Check the bytes.
SHA-256 fingerprints compare a file with its recorded reference. A matching hash means the checked bytes match that reference.
- 02
Inspect the sources.
Distinguish captured evidence, participant statements and provider-reported events. A timeline brings them together without making them interchangeable.
- 03
Read the limits.
Digital integrity does not independently establish an item's identity, physical condition, authorship, capture time or events outside the camera.
A CLEARER RESULT
Different outcomes.
Different meanings.
Verified
The checked digital records satisfy the verifier's applicable checks.
Unsigned
A record without a checked trusted signature remains distinguishable from a signed one.
Changed or missing
A mismatch or missing file needs attention. The check does not reconstruct the original evidence.
Unknown, stale or revoked key
Review trust information separately. An old offline trust list cannot reveal a later revocation.
THE NEXT HANDOFF STARTS HERE