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The increasing role of mobile devices in eDiscovery is undeniable, with recent data showing that 97% of eDiscovery cases now involve mobile devices. As mobile data grows in complexity, legal teams are tasked with handling vast amounts of evidence, often dealing with fragmented data sources, varying formats and significant privacy concerns. Technological advancements, such as the integration between Cellebrite’s digital intelligence tools and RelativityOne’s eDiscovery platform, offer a solution to streamline mobile data collection, processing and review. This blog explores how this integration works, its benefits and its potential to reshape mobile data handling in legal investigations.
The Challenges of Traditional Mobile Data Collection
Traditionally, mobile data collection has presented several challenges for legal teams. The process often involved multiple, disjointed tools that required separate steps for data extraction, processing and review. Legal professionals struggled to maintain data integrity while navigating the technical complexities of mobile devices. In addition, mobile data is unique in that it often includes diverse forms of communication, including messages, calls, emails, app data and more—each requiring different methods to collect and interpret.
…[M]obile data is unique in that it often includes diverse forms of communication, including messages, calls, emails, app data and more—each requiring different methods to collect and interpret.
Team Cellebrite.
These obstacles created several pain points, such as:
- Time-Consuming Workflows: The use of different tools for data extraction and review led to fragmented workflows and delays in processing.
- Data Over-Collection: Without clear guidelines or tools to target specific data, investigations often resulted in the collection of unnecessary or irrelevant data, complicating the review process.
- Security and Privacy Concerns: Legal professionals needed to ensure the collected data was processed securely, with full compliance with privacy regulations and that sensitive information was handled appropriately.
The Integration Workflow: Simplifying Mobile Data Collection
The Cellebrite-RelativityOne integration aims to address these challenges by streamlining mobile data collection and processing. The integration combines Cellebrite’s mobile forensics expertise with RelativityOne’s robust eDiscovery platform, creating a unified workflow that minimizes complexity and time spent on mobile data collection. Here’s how the integrated process works:
The integration combines Cellebrite’s mobile forensics expertise with RelativityOne’s robust eDiscovery platform…
Team Cellebrite.
- Collection Initiation: The legal team sets up a collection job within the RelativityOne Collect platform. They specify the relevant case details, custodian and processing requirements.
- Custodian Notification and Device Connection: Once the collection job is created, the custodian receives an automated email containing instructions to install a lightweight client on their computer. After installation, the custodian connects their mobile device, with full control over the device throughout the process.
- Data Collection and Processing: Cellebrite’s Endpoint Inspector handles the collection of mobile data, including messages, call logs, contacts and other relevant app data. This process is fully automated, with real-time status updates available to the legal team via the RelativityOne interface.
Data Formats and Review Process
After the collection is complete, the integration produces several key data formats that serve different purposes in the eDiscovery workflow:
- UFD (Universal Forensic Format): This format contains the original forensic image of the device, preserving the integrity of the raw data and ensuring that no evidence is altered during the process.
- UFDR (Universal Forensic Data Report): The UFDR includes parsed data, such as call logs, contacts and messaging applications. It organizes this data into a structured format that is easy to search and analyze during the review process.
- RSMF (Relativity Short Message Format): This format allows for a more sophisticated review of message data, capturing not only the messages themselves but also important metadata, including edits, deletions, reactions and forwards. This level of detail is essential for legal teams who need to understand the full context of communications.
- Collection and Device Summary Reports: Detailed reports document the entire collection process, ensuring defensibility and providing a record of the device’s data for future reference or legal proceedings.
These formats are designed to ensure that data is both easy to review and defendable in court, while maintaining the necessary chain of custody and integrity.
Privacy and Security Considerations
Security and privacy are paramount when handling mobile data in eDiscovery. The integration between Cellebrite and RelativityOne addresses these concerns in several ways:
- Custodian Consent: Custodians are required to actively unlock their devices and authorize the collection, ensuring consent and compliance with privacy laws.
- SOC 2 Compliance: The data collection and processing are handled through Cellebrite’s SOC 2-compliant infrastructure, which guarantees that data is handled with the highest standards of security and confidentiality.
- Data Deletion: Once the data is successfully transferred to RelativityOne, it is automatically deleted from the collection computer. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or data leakage.
By following these practices, the integration ensures that mobile data is collected and processed in compliance with privacy regulations and legal requirements.
Technical Considerations for Implementation
Organizations looking to implement the Cellebrite-RelativityOne integration should be aware of several technical requirements:
- Storage Space: Adequate temporary storage is necessary on the collection computer to handle the initial gathering of data before it is transferred to RelativityOne.
- IT Coordination: Successful implementation requires collaboration with IT teams to ensure that devices meet the necessary security protocols and to manage the installation of the required software on custodians’ computers.
- Network Bandwidth: Sufficient network bandwidth is needed to handle the transfer of potentially large amounts of data from the mobile device to RelativityOne.
- Regional Availability: Currently, the integration is available to U.S.-based customers, with plans for expansion to additional regions in the near future.
Future Developments in Mobile Data Collection
As mobile communication continues to evolve, the Cellebrite-RelativityOne integration is also poised for further enhancements:
- Targeted Collection Features: Future updates may allow for more granular control over data collection, such as filtering by specific date ranges or selecting only relevant contacts.
- Integration with Legal Hold: Enhancements to the integration will include support for legal hold workflows, ensuring that mobile data is preserved and protected in compliance with legal requirements.
- Support for Emerging Data Types: As new forms of communication and data storage emerge, the integration will continue to evolve to support additional data types, including newer messaging formats and apps.
Evolving Practices for Mobile Data Collection
The Cellebrite-RelativityOne integration represents a significant step forward in mobile data collection for legal professionals. By streamlining the collection process, improving data accuracy, ensuring robust security and privacy protections, the integration helps legal teams handle mobile data more efficiently and effectively. As the role of mobile devices in eDiscovery continues to grow, solutions like this integration will be vital in enabling legal teams to manage the increasing volume and complexity of mobile data in their investigations.
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