Documentary and Electronic Evidence

The contemporary development of communication technology has affected all aspects of life. The way we do things presently differs from the previous days. The field of law is not immune to this development. As such, the legal system has to change to accommodate the emerging legal issues brought about by the rapid development of communication systems. There are many necessary changes that have occurred in the legal field. However, this book has focused on documentary and electronic evidence. In line with development of communication technology, many principles of evidence laws must change to suit the demand of the contemporary world. Principle of evidence such as the best evidence rule has to change to accommodate the technology. Generally, many jurisdictions recognize the need to treat both traditional paper-based documents and electronic as well as automated documents equally before the court. Such acknowledgement and treatment of such documents in traditional and novel forms has been evident in the US, the UK, Ireland and Australia. As such, the definition of a document needs to undergo a drastic change to accommodate electronic evidence.