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Electronic Record

Definition

Data generated, sent, received, or stored by electronic means, including emails, call data records, server logs, database entries, CCTV footage, and documents stored on computers or mobile devices. Defined consistently across BSA 2023, the US Federal Rules of Evidence, and English law.

Related terms

Chain of Custody
The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
Document
Any matter expressed or described upon any substance by means of letters, figures or marks intended to be used for the purpose...
Hash Value
A fixed-length digital fingerprint produced by running a file through a cryptographic algorithm such as SHA-256 or MD5. Identical files produce identical...
Negotiable Instrument
Defined under the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 Section 13. Promissory note, bill of exchange or cheque payable to order or bearer.
Presumption of Computer Regularity
The rule in England and Wales, in force since the repeal of Section 69 PACE in 1999, that a computer is presumed...
Private Document
Defined under BSA 2023 Section 75. All documents other than public documents (personal letters, agreements, diaries, cheques in the hands of a...
Public Document
Defined under BSA 2023 Section 74. Records of sovereign authority, official bodies and public officers of India or a foreign country; public...
Questioned Document (QD)
Any document whose authenticity, source, age, sequence of preparation or content is in dispute and requires examination by a forensic expert.
Section 63 Certificate (BSA 2023)
A signed statement required by Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 to accompany an electronic record tendered in evidence. It...
Security Feature
Engineered element of a document (watermark, security thread, microprinting, intaglio, optically variable ink, latent image, fluorescent fibres) that frustrates forgery and supports...
Self-Authentication (FRE 902)
A category of US evidence law under Federal Rule of Evidence 902 in which certain documents are treated as authenticated without extrinsic...
Standard or Exemplar
A document of known origin used for comparison with a questioned document. May be requested (taken under controlled conditions) or collected (from...

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