Workshop on computers and evidence

Some background:

• “Computers make mistakes — the law must recognize that,” Nature, 2024
• Use of evidence generated by software in criminal proceedings: Call for Evidence, Ministry of Justice overview, 2025
• Computer and law experts respond to call for opinions on computer evidence, Computer Weekly overview by Karl Flinders, 2025
• Reliability of computer-based evidence, Data (Use and Access) Bill, Amendments, Baroness Kidron, Lord Clement-Jones & Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, 2024
• S Mason & D Seng, eds, Electronic Evidence and Electronic Signatures, 5th ed (see in particular, Chapter 5, The presumption that computers are ‘reliable’). Institute of Advanced Legal Studies for the SAS Humanities Digital Library, School of Advanced Study, University of London, 2021. Open source.

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Papers specifically shared for the workshop:

• Ian Henderson, director of Second Sight
• Alistair Kelman, A potential solution to the computer evidence problem
• Stephen Mason, Notes for workshop on computers and the law
• Stephen Mason’s Post Office Horizon IT scandal précis of issues, with useful bibliography
• Sam Stein KC, Thoughts for the workshop
• Martyn Thomas, What constitutes Sufficient Evidence of Dependability?

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Submissions to the MoJ:

• British Computer Society (BCS)
• James Christie
• Alistair Kelman & James Christie
• Peter Bernard Ladkin, Bev Littlewood, Steven J. Murdoch, Martin Newby & Martyn Thomas
• Stephen Mason
• Steven Murdoch
• Micheál Ó Floinn & David Ormerod
• Safety-Critical Systems Club (SCSC)
• Graham Smith
• Peter Sommer
• Harold Thimbleby

  — Reliability of Electronic Evidence Diagrams (REEDS)

  — Thimbleby’s MoJ submission morphing into a paper — would anyone like to help co-author this?

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Frequently quoted papers, etc:

• N Bohm, J Christie, PB Ladkin, B Littlewood, P Marshall, S Mason, M Newby, SJ Murdoch, H Thimbleby & M Thomas, “Briefing Note: The legal rule that computers are presumed to be operating correctly — unforeseen and unjust consequences,” Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review, 19:123–127, 2022.

• A Kelman & R Sizer, The Computer In Court, 2nd edition, 2011.

• P Marshall, J Christie, PB Ladkin, B Littlewood, S Mason, M Newby, J Rogers, H Thimbleby & M Thomas, “Recommendations for the probity of computer evidence,” Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review, 18:18–26, 2021. DOI 10.14296/deeslr.v18i0.5240