In an age where every moment can be captured on a smartphone and surveillance cameras watch over our daily lives, the value of video evidence in digital evidence management has skyrocketed.
Whether it's the pivotal clue in a criminal investigation, a critical piece of corporate security, or a vital component in settling a legal dispute, video evidence is a digital witness that demands our attention.
According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), video evidence is found in around 80% of cases. This gives rise to a burning question: How can we ensure this video evidence's integrity, security, and usability?
Ensure video evidence integrity today by signing up for a 7-day free trial of VIDIZMO DEMS.
In this blog, we will explore the critical role of video evidence in various fields, its challenges, and the solutions that empower organizations to harness their full potential while safeguarding their credibility.
The Crucial Role of Video Evidence in Law Enforcement
According to a study by the National Library of Medicine (NIH), digital evidence is a factor in about 90% of criminal cases. An article by IACP further reinstates the impact of video evidence on the outcome of investigations.
The following is an illustration of the high significance of video evidence in criminal investigations:
It goes without saying that video evidence has become invaluable across the law enforcement realm.
Real-World Example
In the Boston Marathon bombing case, video footage from various sources played a pivotal role in identifying and capturing the suspects. Images and videos from surveillance cameras and bystanders' smartphones provided crucial evidence that led to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.
Lack of Proper Care and Handling of Video Evidence
The absence of proper care for sensitive video evidence can present consequential challenges. We will examine these challenges and emphasize the importance of maintaining a comprehensive solution.
Video Evidence Management Challenges
Here are the challenges faced while managing video evidence:
Preventing Accidental Security Breaches
Consider a high-profile criminal case where video evidence is crucial. The challenge? Ensuring the evidence remains secure. Imagine a junior staff member accidentally erasing essential video files, causing a major setback. The need for strict access controls becomes clear.
Securing the Integrity of Video Evidence
In the world of crime, maintaining video integrity is paramount. Visualize this – a mole manipulates the data to mislead the special task force preparing to hunt a wanted criminal.
Restricting Access to Video Evidence
A study found that 53% of organizations had experienced a data breach due to a third-party vendor.
Consider a legal case where sensitive evidence must be shared securely. Now, here's the twist - an authorized recipient accidentally shares the tokenized URL publicly, jeopardizing the evidence's confidentiality. The challenge is to ensure that secure sharing remains truly secure.
Ensuring Chain of Custody
Imagine a complex criminal investigation where maintaining an unbroken chain of custody and comprehensive audit trails is essential. The challenge becomes evident when a crucial piece of video evidence is mishandled, leading to gaps in the chain of custody, which can compromise its validity.
The need for a secure and transparent method to track and maintain evidence integrity throughout its lifecycle is evident.
Handling Video Evidence with a Digital Evidence Management System
A robust digital evidence management system offers comprehensive solutions to ensure proper care and integrity of video evidence in the following manner:
Role-Based Access Control
A digital evidence management system employs Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to restrict access, preventing unauthorized personnel from mishandling video evidence and ensuring its security.
Tamper Detection
A digital evidence management system utilizes advanced tamper detection mechanisms, such as SHA cryptographic hash functions, to verify the integrity of video evidence. This ensures that any unauthorized alterations are promptly identified.
URL Tokenization
A digital evidence management system implements secure URL tokenization for sharing evidence securely for a limited period of time, making it nearly impossible for authorized users to expose confidential video evidence accidentally.
Chain of Custody Reporting
A digital evidence management system ensures a robust chain of custody feature and comprehensive audit trails. This guarantees that every action taken with the evidence is meticulously documented and timestamped.
Timestamp-Based Search
A digital evidence management system saves time and manual effort of the agency's personnel by empowering them to search for a specific point in video evidence through spoken words or faces and other objects appearing inside the video-based evidence.
How Does VIDIZMO Digital Evidence Management System Protect Video Evidence?
VIDIZMO Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) adheres to the highest security standards to safeguard your evidence. We offer each of the features discussed above and much more.
Are you not convinced? Click here to explore our extensive features designed to secure your video evidence. While we prioritize evidence security, our platform offers a multitude of additional capabilities beyond that.
Visit VIDIZMO to learn about its extensive features in detail. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
Preserve your Video Evidence Now!
In this blog, we've explored the significance of video evidence, the challenges stemming from its mishandling, and how a DEMS effectively addresses these issues through dedicated evidence security features.
Head to VIDIZMO for a free seven-day trial today, or contact us for more details about our product.