PRESERVING INTEGRITY OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE USING BLOCKCHAIN
Vinoth Kumar R, Haritha S, M Sooritha, S Shanmugavaruni · International Journal of Engineering Technology and Management Sciences · 2025
The integration of blockchain technology into forensic investigations presents a transformativeapproach to addressing critical challenges in legal and criminal justice systems. By utilizing smartcontracts—self-executing agreements that follow predefined rules—key processes such as evidencetracking, chain of custody management, and access control can be automated and secured. Smartcontracts ensure transparency and integrity in forensic operations by recording all transactions andactions immutably on the blockchain, significantly reducing the possibility of tampering or humanerror. Blockchain’s decentralized structure, cryptographic security, and immutability provideunparalleled protection for sensitive data. Once information is recorded on the blockchain, itbecomes virtually unalterable, ensuring the reliability and authenticity of evidence. This feature isvital for maintaining an unforgeable chain of custody and safeguarding the integrity of forensicevidence throughout legal proceedings. Using Remix IDE and Solidity, forensic investigators candevelop Ethereum-based smart contracts to manage and store critical data in a tamper-proof manner.Every transaction is time-stamped and securely stored on the Ethereum blockchain, creating anindisputable ledger that strengthens the trustworthiness of investigations. In summary, integratingblockchain into forensic investigations enhances operational efficiency, reduces the likelihood oferrors and disputes, and provides a transparent, immutable record of forensic processes. Thisinnovation significantly improves the overall integrity and trust in legal and criminal justiceinvestigations.