Form · Incoming evidence — deepfakes & synthetic documents
Digital evidence intake and chain-of-custody record
Form for recording how a digital exhibit was obtained, its hash values, every transfer, access and copy, and integrity checks, so that its authenticity and handling can be proved.
- Kind
- Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Where it applies
- Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
- AI use
- Yellow AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at
- 17 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked against the cited sources on 17 October 2026.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Written for this library
When to use it
Open a record when any digital item that may be evidence first reaches the firm (from the client, the other side, a subpoena or a platform), and keep it updated until the matter ends. One record per item or per forensic image.
How AI may be used
AI can build a draft custody log from capture notes and export logs, marking gaps, but a person who handled the evidence completes and signs the record.
AI may
- From capture notes, emails and export logs, list who held the item, when, and what hashes or logs exist, marking gaps.
- Compare hash values recorded at each transfer and flag any mismatch.
- Produce the index of items for an expert or the court.
AI must not
- Must not fill gaps with assumed events or times.
- Must not be given the evidence files themselves unless the tool is approved for that evidence class.
- Must not sign or certify the record.
The lawyer checks
- Every transfer has a person, date, time, method and hash check.
- Gaps are explained or followed up.
- Storage and access controls are documented.
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Read the full text
The full text is for signed-in accounts. It is free. When you sign in you can:
- read the whole precedent, with its drafting notes beside it;
- copy it, or download it as a Word file or Markdown;
- add it to your firm’s knowledge base, so colleagues can find it;
- let the AI tools you connect read it from that knowledge base.
The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
More in Incoming evidence — deepfakes & synthetic documents
- Deepfake and synthetic evidence authenticity checklist (images, audio, video and documents)
- Letter requesting native files, metadata and device examination (Evidence Act s 167)
- Letter instructing a digital forensics expert on suspected synthetic or altered media
- Client warning letter on AI-fabricated or altered evidence
- Outline of submissions objecting to evidence suspected to be AI-generated or altered
All precedents for Incoming evidence — deepfakes & synthetic documents · Tasks and AI use in this area