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About Abuse

Abuse Using Technology

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Updated: 
March 29, 2018

What is digital evidence?

Digital evidence is information that is stored on, received, or transmitted in a digital format by an electronic device that can be used in court to help prove abuse occurred. Digital evidence is sometimes referred to as electronic evidence. This evidence is often created when abuse involves the use of technology. Here are a few examples:

  • when an abusive person sends text messages that contain threats, those messages (or screenshots of those messages) become digital evidence that can be used in court to help prove the threatening behavior;
  • when an abusive person creates harassing posts on social media, those posts (or screenshots of those posts) become digital evidence that can be used in court to help prove the harassing behavior; or
  • when someone uses technology to stalk a victim, there may be evidence in the form of GPS tracking data, video footage, or spyware purchases that can be used as evidence to help prove surveillance occurred.