Among other things, for investigative articles and other journalistic work, the Pocket Witness app can be useful, as it turns photos, videos, and audio recordings into real evidence that can be used before an authority.
The completely free app for Android was downloaded and installed on our smartphone at lightning speed, without any special ads or macera and it is also positive that unlike other apps, Pocket Witness does not block ads for us later. The only thing the creative company requires is that if you like your product, we support it – you especially like Bitcoin.
In the development, our goal was to provide a tool for people to prove events around or with them that are legally important to them. The mobile phone has now become a device like a Swiss army knife, as it used to carry small small devices that are important in our daily life. That’s what we think is Pocket Witness.
Said Dr. Zoltán Tóth, developer of Pocket Witness.
How it works?
Use the app to take a photo, record a video, or record an audio. Completed digital materials are authenticated with a time stamp and electronic signature on the basis of a qualified certificate. Conditions such as network information and GPS location data are also recorded in a reliable audit log.
– Dr. added. Zoltan Toth.
When we launch the app, it asks if anything is going on around us. By implication, there is only one answer (“Yes, let’s record”) because if there’s no special event, there’s clearly no point in using Pocket Witness for photography only. With yes, the camera part comes from the phone and has a simple and elegant interface.
We can choose between what we tried in the Illustrator pane. Once the photo is captured, the app details the type of certificate, location information, and the exact date the photo was taken within minutes. Then, by clicking on the “Request Certificate” button, our document is ready. The certified QR proof can then be found in the phone’s photo gallery, and the certificate can either be downloaded or requested by email.
What do we get?
The certificate has a digital signature, which is also affixed to the blockchain, depending on the application.
With this dock you can prove anything at any time.
– The site claims.
The recorded material is a detailed PDF document and is a “clear guide that can be used in court proceedings”. In addition to the previously mentioned timestamp, the document also includes GPS coordinates and network information. According to the website, this document is an original documentary template that also includes an electronic signature based on a qualified certificate.
According to the eIDAS rules governing the European Union (which are also applied in domestic law), the advantage of documents with a qualified electronic signature is that according to the rules of civil procedure, private documents bearing such a signature are also completely evidentiary, that is, there is an assumption that the act has He is already signed with this content. In the case of The Pocket Witness, this means that if our recording is used as evidence in court proceedings, there is a legal presumption in favor of its authenticity, and it requires no further proof.
Dr. Zoltan Toth.
In addition to a “traditional” electronic signature, recorded material is also authenticated with a blockchain-based solution. According to the Creator, this is important because:
- Thus, regardless of whether the eIDAS rules apply in a country, registrations can be validated;
- We believe that traditional central authentication solutions will be adopted in the future with decentralized solutions based on global standards.
When should it be used?
Obviously, using a journalist that’s an investigative article is very beneficial, as it can be used to capture original photos of any shaky issue, according to the creator.
But it is
It can also help with everyday matters
To anyone, such as documenting potential police violations that we might encounter in the BKV or on the street, or even documenting simple normal legal cases: someone is standing in front of the exit of our house, a car is being towed, or someone is simply harassing us. We just capture the smartphone and with Pocket Witness we can create photos, videos or audio within seconds that we can use in civil or criminal proceedings.
They are listed on the website in the form of an image
A “type three” encounter with a flying saucer,
And its documentation for possible application – after all, you need to be prepared for any eventuality …
Little problems
The app creates the required document a bit slowly, so we have to be patient for that to happen. Initially, the completed certificate did not send me to the email address I provided. Turns out I just left an unnecessary pause in the email, but I spoke to Dr. With Zoltán Tóth: Developers are supposed to work on a publishing method so that the certificate does not appear in the spam filter for other reasons. In any case, I immediately found the QR-encoded image in the mobile gallery and the certificate in question in the documents folder on the smartphone.
