An Implementation of Blockchain Technology in Forensic Evidence Management

Abstract

Evidence management is crucial in the field of forensic science. Evidences obtained from a crime scene are important in solving the case and delivering justice to the parties involved. Hence, protecting these evidences from any form of alteration is of utmost important. Chain of Custody is the process which maintains the integrity of evidence. Inability to maintain the chain of custody will make the evidence inadmissible in court, eventually leading to the case dismissal. Digitalization of forensic evidence management system is a need of time as it is an environment friendly model. Blockchains are digitally distributed ledgers of transactions signed cryptographically in chronological order that are sorted into blocks and is completely open to anyone in the blockchain network. Hyperledger Fabric is a consortium blockchain framework created by the Linux foundation and is mainly used for enterprise use. Based on the concept of Hyperledger Fabric, present study aimed to create a framework and further propose an algorithm to implement Blockchain Technology to digitalize forensic evidence management system and maintain Chain of Custody.