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Uploading evidence

Add photos, video, audio and PDFs to a case. Files are encrypted in your browser first. File types, the 1 GB limit, and what happens on a weak connection.

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On this page
  1. What happens when you upload
  2. Adding files
  3. File types
  4. Size limits
  5. Uploading on a weak connection
  6. Viewing what you’ve uploaded
  7. Finding evidence in a case
  8. Sharing with your client
  9. Removing evidence
  10. Related articles

What happens when you upload

Every file you add to a case is encrypted in your browser before it leaves your device. PIToolkit’s servers only ever store the encrypted file, and hold no key that opens it. You don’t have to do anything differently from any other upload.

At the same time, PIToolkit records details about the file, and seals them under the case key so our servers can’t read them:

  • A SHA-256 fingerprint of the file, so it can be checked later.
  • Capture time. For JPEG, PNG, WebP and TIFF photos, this is the time the camera recorded in the photo’s EXIF data. For other files (including HEIC photos, video, audio and PDFs), and for photos without that data, it’s the file’s last-modified time on your device.
  • Location, if the photo’s EXIF data contains GPS coordinates. PIToolkit never asks your browser for your location.
  • A device identifier for the browser you uploaded from. This is a random value your browser creates for your account, not a hardware ID.

These details, and your signature over them, are what make evidence integrity and the evidence package possible.

Adding files

Open a case, go to its evidence, and use Add evidence, or drag files onto the evidence panel. You can add many files at once. They upload one at a time, and you can keep adding more while the queue runs. The progress line reads, for example, “3 of 12 complete”.

A case can have up to 40 files waiting to finish at once. If you pick more, the extra ones aren’t added and you’re told how many were left out; add them once the first batch is done.

File types

You can upload:

  • Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, TIFF, HEIC
  • Video: MP4, QuickTime (MOV), WebM
  • Audio: MP3, WAV, M4A, Ogg
  • Documents: PDF

PIToolkit checks what the file actually contains, not just its name. Renaming a file to a different extension won’t get it accepted; re-export it in a supported format instead.

Size limits

  • 1 GB per file. For a longer video, export a smaller version or split it into parts.
  • Files over 100 MB can’t be shared to the client portal. You can still preview and download them yourself.
  • Each file counts toward your plan’s storage allowance. A file that would take you over the allowance isn’t added, and nothing else is affected. See Plans, storage and billing.

You can’t add evidence to an archived case, or to a case that’s over your plan’s active-case limit.

Uploading on a weak connection

If your connection drops mid-upload, the queue pauses and says “Paused — will retry automatically when the connection is back. Nothing has been lost.” It carries on by itself when the connection returns. A file that fails three times shows Retry, so you can try it again.

Keep the tab open until the queue finishes. The upload queue lives in that browser tab. If you reload the page, close the tab or sign out, files that hadn’t finished are dropped from the queue and need to be added again. Files that had already finished are safe. If your laptop sleeps with the tab still open, the upload carries on when it wakes and reconnects.

Viewing what you’ve uploaded

  • Photos and PDFs open in a preview in your browser, decrypted as they load. Some browsers can’t display HEIC or TIFF; download those instead.
  • Video and audio can’t be played in the browser yet. They show as a tile labelled “Video” or “Audio”; use Download to watch or listen on your computer.
  • Each time you open a preview, PIToolkit re-checks the file against its recorded fingerprint and shows “SHA-256 verified just now”, or warns you if it doesn’t match.
  • The preview shows when the file was Captured and when it was Added. Use Edit details to add a description and classification.

Finding evidence in a case

The evidence toolbar lets you:

  • search by part of a file name
  • filter by type (photo, video, audio, document and so on)
  • filter by sharing (shared with client, or private to firm)
  • filter by capture date
  • switch between gallery and list view

The gallery shows the 200 most recent items.

Sharing with your client

Evidence is private to your firm until you share it. In a file’s preview, tick Shared with your client under Client access to make it visible in their portal. Untick it to withdraw it; anything they already downloaded stays with them. Sharing applies to every client with access to that case.

Removing evidence

Choose Remove, then Remove from case. The file is removed from view, and the removal is signed by you and recorded in the case’s evidence chain, so the rest of the case can still be verified. You can’t put a removed file back yourself.

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