Alright, so this device won't store evidence forever, but it will for a hundred years.
SanDisk has developed the SD WORM (“write once read many”) card, essentially a flash memory solution for tamper-proof data storage. Supposedly with an archival life of one hundred years, the card will be invulnerable to degradation. As soon as data is written into the card, there is “no physical way to alter or delete individual recorded files.” Of course, physical destruction of the card is always a viable option.
Its suggested uses include “police investigations, court testimony, electronic voting and other applications where data files must be protected from alteration or deletion.”
The SanDisk press release stated that the company has already shipped volumes of the card to Japan’s police force. Japan notably abolished its statute of limitations on murder and murder-robbery earlier this year. Since actions for murder and murder-robbery are imprescriptible within the jurisdiction, it is crucial for relevant evidence to remain intact for several years.
Physical evidence is susceptible to deterioration and interference. Human memory fades, and witnesses move (or die). The WORM SD card makes it a lot easier to store and retrieve evidence which would have otherwise disappeared.
However, the utility that may be derived from the WORM SD card depends on the continued development of flash memory technology. SanDisk seems to be operating under the assumption that SD cards will not only exist, but be fully functional, a century from now. The integrity and security of digital storage will clearly be useless if no device can read the data contained therein.
Richelle Dianne Patawaran, Entry No. 2
No comments:
Post a Comment