Blockchain Systems for the Integrity of Digital Evidence Management

This study proposes and implements a blockchain based system to ensure the integrity of digital evidence. Digital evidence plays a crucial role in legal disputes and criminal investigations, However conventional centralized systems are vulnerable to data tampering and loss. To address these challenges, this research designs a system that guarantees the integrity of digital evidence throughout the processes of collection, storage, and verification by utilizing a private blockchain. This paper begin by examining blockchain and various consensus algorithms, followed by a detailed description of the implementation methods and processes of the proposed system. The system employs Ethereum-based GoQuorum to construct the private blockchain. Also, the QBFT consensus algorithm used in this network provides high security and fast processing speeds. By developing the smart contract, we enabled the storage and retrieval of the generated hash value of digital evidence on the blockchain. Our System verifies integrity by comparing the hash value stored on the chain with the hash value of the original image. Consequently, the blockchain-based integrity verification system has contributed to enhancing the reliablility of digital evidence and has improved both efficiency and security in legal proceedings.