Electronic Discovery and Technology in Law » Definition

Anatomy of an e-mail

admin — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:21:06 +0000

The BODY, displays the e-mail message itself.

The HEADER appears at the top of the message. It usually contains: (1) the sender; (2) recipient(s); (3) the Subject Line; (4) the Carbon Copy line; and (5) possibly a Blind Carbon Copy line.

The information contained in the HEADER is readily accessible by the sender of the e-mail. A recipient will be able to view all components of the HEADER, except for the Blind CC e-mail address, which does not appear in the sent message. The Subject Line may reveal whether the parties have responded to a previous e-mail from the sender (RE:) or whether the sender has forwarded an e-mail from a third party to the recipient (FWD:).
For a user-friendly guide to understanding and using e-mail, please see: www.learnthenet.com.

Details of Encryption

admin — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:06:35 +0000

Encryption is a method of protecting data by translating it into a secret code. Encrypted data is sometimes referred to as cypher text as opposed to unencrypted plaint text. To read an encrypted document, one must have either a key or password to decrypt it. There are two general categories of encrypted data: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Asymmetrical Encryption is also called public-key encryption. This system uses a public key and a private key to encrypt data. The intended recipient of an encrypted message can provide his or her public key to the individual sending the message. The sender then uses the public key to encrypt the message. The private key is held only by the intended recipient. In essence, the public key is used to lock the data and the private key is used to unlock the data. It is impossible to decrypt the data without the private key. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a widely used encryption tool in the United States.

Like asymmetrical encryption, Symmetrical Encryption uses keys to encrypt and decrypt messages. However, rather than using two separate keys, the same key is used to encrypt and decypher the message.

Bytes, Kilobytes and Gigabytes, OH MY!

admin — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 06:54:33 +0000

The smallest unit of information on a computer is a bit, which is short for the term binary digit and can only consist of the numbers 0 or 1. Bits are used in various combinations of the numbers 0 and 1 to create meaningful information, such as a byte.

A byte is a computer storage unit containing enough memory to hold a store a single character, such as a number or a letter. It is composed of eight bits.

Because bytes are a small unit, it is more common to see the terms kilobytes and gigabytes to refer to storage space on a computer.

Kilobyte: 1,024 bytes

Megabyte: 1,048,576 bytes or 1,024 kilobytes

Gigabyte: 1,073,741,824 bytes or 1,024 megabytes

It can be difficult to conceptualize the amount of electronic data contained in a byte. Different documents take up varying amounts of space.

The following examples demonstrate the approximate quantities of data that can be stored in a single gigabyte of space:

Microsoft Word files: 65,000 pages

E-mail files: 100,000 files

Text files: 675,000 pages

For more definitions, please visit our Glossary of Terms page.

What is Metadata?

admin — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:20:58 +0000

Electronic documents often contain more information than meets the eye. Metadata is data about data; embedded information that does not appear in a printed version of an electronic document. Examples of metadata includes prior revisions to word processing documents, the identity of blind copied individuals on e-mail messages, and internet usage histories. Metadata is an important element in law enforcement and litigation in the electronic age.

Please go to our Glossary of Terms for more definitions.