Are screenshots valid evidence in court? Yes, and they can become indisputable evidence if certified with the TrueScreen app. We learn more with Il Mattino about the certification of screenshots and their validity before a judge, which is not always guaranteed as one might believe. In fact:
“It is true that as early as last year the Supreme Court admitted these instant photographs among evidentiary documents, [ma] it is not automatic that they can turn into evidence.”
As a result, the need arises to ensure the authenticity of the content, context and all queidata related to the screenshots we capture with our devices.
What does it mean to certify screenshots?
The certification of screenshots involves the analysis and verification of the data captured at the time of acquisition and then proceeding with the application of a time stamp and a digital seal that guarantee date and time certain making it impossible to manipulate the acquired content.
Generally, to perform these operations, it is necessary to refer to third parties and be willing to face rather high costs. To overcome the problem and bring even non-experts closer to an authentic capture method, there comes the TrueScreen app, which in seconds allows validation and certification of not only screenshots: also photos, videos, audio, documents, chats, social content, screen recordings, GPS locations.
How does the TrueScreen technology work? CEO and founder Fabio Ugolini explains it in an interview for Il Mattino:
“Thanks to our patented algorithm, all acquired data are analyzed, looking for signs of any changes and preventing any external activity from altering them. In this way we create a secure and unassailable environment from the outside, capable of protecting the rights of the people, legal or physical, involved. We call ourselves a digital emergency room.”
Fabio Ugolini, Founder e CEO TrueScreenFor the user, this process is actually very basic in the app’s interface, which shows all the capture modes and allows you to shoot or record as we are used to. Once satisfied with our content, all that remains is to let TrueScreen process and analyze the data to generate the forensic report.
The idea behind the app that certifies screenshots
“somewhat by accident, while developing an application that allowed users to easily manage all the screenshots on their smartphones. At 1 million downloads, on average there were more than a thousand saved screenshots on each device. This is because messages can disappear quickly and people are afraid of losing any evidence. Just think of a stalking victim who wants to frame her stalker.”
Fabio Ugolini, Founder e CEO TrueScreenThe project initially originated in the context of domestic violence, but today it has ever-changing uses, ranging from certification of consumption to fines, meter reading, and potholes in the road.
To obtain certification of a screenshot “before TrueScreen, when digital evidence was presented in a trial it immediately triggered a request for an expert opinion. While many lawyers today rely on TrueScreen, which is also a potential tool for defending weaker individuals.
