Further information for Reliability of Electronic Evidence Diagrams, REEDs

Reliability of Evidence Diagrams, REEDs, are introduced as a powerful interactive tool to help analyse, communicate, and improve the quality and understanding of computer evidence used in courts. Without REEDs or something similar, defendants and indeed prosecutors have little chance of reaching an adequate understanding of complex dependencies and chains of evidence that are built with (often poorly managed, poorly audited, and poorly documented) computer systems dependent on distributed systems and many vendors. REEDs can also help more rigorously manage IT systems prior to possible legal action.

REEDs are supported by a prototype innovative tool, making them easy to work with as well as facilitating further research. The tool’s source code is available. The tool, which integrates graph theory, visualisation and hypermedia narrative evidence, is a unique feature of REEDs. The textual notation used is light-weight and easy to maintain. REEDs can be emailed for collaborative work, and the tools’s automatic generation of diagrams eliminates the need for artistic skills in visualisation.

Helping improve the analysis and handling of complex computer evidence cases is an intervention of international significance, but the REED contribution coincides with the UK Post Office Horizon Scandal (caused by concealed misuse of computer evidence) and coincides with the UK Ministry of Justice reviewing the law and procedures on computer evidence.

A refereed journal paper on REEDs is available here. The paper provides full details of REEDs, and includes an in-depth worked case study of a real complex NHS criminal case.

This web page provides many resources — the paper on REEDs, a REED case study and its background information, and provides source code so you can build the REED tool yourself and try it out.