Think tank EEMA pledges support to blockchain-powered law enforcement platform LOCARD

Identity and privacy-centric think tank known as the European Association for e-Identity and Security (EEMA) announced that it will support the lawful evidence collecting and continuing platform development or LOCARD, which seeks to automate the collection and documentation of digital evidence for law enforcement.

As per a press release, EEMA will provide its technical, legal, ethics, and stakeholder communication expertise and closely work with 19 institutions to develop a cross-border chain solution for custody assurance of digital evidence.

“Being able to swiftly gather evidence from a wide range of sources and manage the data in a way that preserves the chain of custody will enable cases to be investigated thoroughly, prosecuted faster and with higher success rates,” Jon Shamah, EEMA Chair, said.

One of the major challenges law enforcers face is managing the growing number of data sources and data volumes that have also become borderless. LOCARD aims to present findings in the court of law in a more seamless manner.

The blockchain-based system also seeks to boost the trust in handling and processing the evidence by making sure data are stored and transferred securely. LOCARD intends to fulfill different law enforcement purposes including creating technology to live-stream data as evidence and enable investigators to publish anonymized data. It can also monitor the progress of digital investigation in real-time for the victims.

“LOCARD acknowledges that crime is increasingly borderless and without a way to share digital evidence in a manner that maintains its integrity, perpetrators will continue to evade the justice system,” Shamah said.

Supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Funding Programme, LOCARD will take around 36 weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has also unveiled its plan to use Hyperledger Fabric’s permissioned blockchain to verify the sources of digital files. To be called the News Provenance Project, the news outlet will use blockchain to eliminate misinformation and adulterated media in the industry.