METADATA, HASH VALUES AND DIGITAL SIGNATURE: TECHNICAL SAFEGUARDS WITHIN THE INDIAN LEGISLATION.

Abstract

In the digital age, the Indian courts are becoming more dependent on electronic documents, including emails, WhatsApp messages, and CCTV footage, call detail records, online agreements, and documents stored in the clouds to establish rights and liabilities. Since the administration of governance, trade, and individual communication have shifted to online platforms, court cases have not been far behind. But, unlike the documents of the past, which were made of paper, electronic records are immaterial and can be copied, changed and manipulated easily without any tracks. This raises serious issues of authenticity and integrity and makes vital questions on how courts can trustfully depend on digital evidence.This paper will discuss three essential technical security measures that can be used to deal with these issues: metadata, hash values and digital signatures. Metadata gives account related background facts concerning a digital file like the time in which it was created, edited, or viewed thus helping in the determination of authorship and timeline. The value of hashes is cryptographic generated numbers that serve as digital fingerprints to confirm the possibility of alteration of a file. Asymmetric cryptography is used to create digital signatures which provide legally accepted ways of authentication as well as provide a secure electronic communication. These tools when combined create credibility to the electronic records when they appear before courts.