ESI Protocol

ESI Protocols + Data Collection

An ESI protocol is a mutually agreed upon plan on how both sides will access data and eventually make it available to opposing side.

Benefits: 

Set rules on how you’re identifying, review and how you’re handing it to the other side.

Protects client’s interests and data.

Leverage the protocol for 3rd party data.

Basically, a contract for the case on how to handle things between the two parties.

Data Collection

Preservation is important, agree on the scope of the collection. Don’t collect data that won’t be relevant (game app data, etc.) but messages and social apps are more important.

Focus on relevant dates.

Avoid fingerprints: Don’t have client forward emails directly to you, it changes the meta data. Collect directly from the source.

Collection Vocab

Meet and Confer: Parties meet and negotiate a plan that will reduce costs and burdens for both sides.

PST and mBox: zip folder for inbox. PST is for Outlook and mBOX is for Gmail.

Custodians: Person/Owner of the inbox or data.

Defensible deletion: Parties identify and eliminate inessential data so that it doesn’t overwhelm efforts.

Metadata: Data about the data; date, time, location.

MD5 Hash: Algorithm used to verify data integrity; used to make sure that files haven’t been duplicated or modified. Is as unique as a fingerprint. Documents that are imported gets assigned an MD5 hash.