Patent ID: 8886958

Claim:
A system for preserving electronic evidence, the system comprising: a self-protecting storage device (SPSD), comprising a first computer-readable medium having self-protecting features that, when engaged, limit recovery of data stored on the SPSD; and a software medium coupled to the SPSD, the software medium comprising a second computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions for: copying electronic data from a source medium coupled to the SPSD; writing metadata relating to the copying to a secure area on the SPSD, wherein the metadata comprises one or more of the following: identity of an individual performing the copying; a description of the electronic data; time and date of the copying; provenance of the SPSD; and location where the copying is performed; and wherein the metadata is cryptographically signed and a public key credential is attached to the metadata; and engaging the self-protecting features of the SPSD, whereby the SPSD is converted to a read-only state.