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HASH VALUE :

65. Indeed, it is always a challenge to properly establish a voice record (electronic data) before Court of Law.

In this regard Hash value is considered as an important aid. A hash value" is an alphanumeric string that serves to identify an individual digital file as a kind of "digital fingerprint". Although it may be possible for two digital files to have hash values that

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67. Further, in the globe similar situations are already dealt with. Sophisticated equipments are put to use and scientific methods have been adopted to prove the voice sample in the court of law.

68. For example in the case of Lorraine v. Markel 241 FR.D. 534 (D. Md. 2007): the court dealing with the issue

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search by Hash Value also observed that it would narrowly restrict the searched of digital devices. It further observed that "A file can be mislabeled: its extension (a sort of suffix indicating the type of file) can be changed; it can actually be converted to a different file type (just as a chat transcript can be captured as an image file, so can an image be inserted into a word processing file and saved as such). Any of these manipulations could change a document's hash value. And in any event a limited hash-value search would not have turned up any chat transcripts (which, again, can be saved as image files)"

• Every stage of handing over of the electronic evidence from one officer to another must be well documented and the determinant features of the file must be verified and corroborated at every stage.

• Thereafter, the electronic file is submitted for Forensic testing.

• Present day testing by spectrographic analysis may fall short on ascertaining the reliability and authenticity of an electronic document. Instead cryptographic analysis by hash value method be preferred. Meta data analysis of an electronic file would more accurate in suggesting any modification/s to the original file based on hash value.

• The hash value of the electronic device should be calculated and a cloned copy(mirror copy) of the device should be prepared.

• At the time of seizure of the primary evidence and in the process of creating an image file from the primary object on to a compact disk, pen drive or any other device which is in sterile condition, hash value must be generated by using any of the freeware such as:

Hasher or Hash generator or Hash calculator or SHA 256 Hash generator etc. Further, Hash value at the time of seizure and creating clone or image copy must necessarily be mentioned so as to ensure that there is no lapses while seizing and cloning the voice sample so as ensure image/clone/copy data (individual data) has same hash value.