Navigating the Challenges of Mobile Data in eDiscovery: Insights from Cellebrite and Relativity
Key takeaways from our on-demand webinar on ‘How to Simplify Modern Mobile Data Collection and Review’.
In recent years, the significance of mobile data in the field of law, particularly in e-discovery, has grown exponentially. Factors such as remote work and the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a dramatic increase in the percentage of cases involving mobile phones. Some estimates suggest that as much as 90% or 75% of cases now require mobile data collection.
This trend has led to a surge in mobile data-related cases in e-discovery, including significant sanctions against companies by the FTC. As mobile data continues to shape the legal landscape, industry leaders like Cellebrite and Relativity are collaborating to understand and address the challenges faced by their joint customers
Preservation Challenges: Preserving mobile data presents unique challenges compared to traditional data sources like email. Unlike email, mobile data lacks preservation in place options, making it difficult to ensure data integrity. Additionally, accessing the phones of custodians and targeting the most relevant data poses hurdles in the process. The rise of personal devices being used for work (BYOD) further complicates the task of targeting specific data, such as text messages related to case themes.
Relativity’s Approach to Mobile Data: Relativity, a prominent e-discovery software platform, has recognized the need to address new types of data, including mobile data. To tackle this challenge, Relativity introduced the Relatively Short Message Format (RSMF) to standardize the review of data from various chat applications that use different formats.
However, importing RSMF files into Relativity has its own challenges, particularly regarding the extraction of message-level metadata. While metadata extraction at the conversation level is available, extracting metadata at the individual message level remains an opportunity that Relativity looks to unlock in the future.
The Need for Standards and Coding: As mobile data continues to play a crucial role in e-discovery, the industry is actively discussing the need for standards and coding at the message level. Clear guidelines are necessary to navigate the challenges faced by platforms like Cellebrite and Relativity. Customers have consistently highlighted the importance of de-duplication when collecting multiple phones from a single person to reduce chat data volumes.
Handoffs between e-discovery and forensics teams are also time-consuming but crucial to ensure that the right data is ready for review. Extracting and analyzing message-level metadata, which can contain significant evidence, further emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to search and analytics in platforms like RelativityOne.
The Growing Presence of Chat Applications: The presence of chat applications in e-discovery cases has been steadily increasing, with platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Signal becoming important sources of evidence. The remote nature of work, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, has made accessing custodians, regardless of their location, a critical aspect of mobile data collection. Efficiently obtaining and processing mobile data from phones and tablets has become essential for preserving and collecting relevant data in e-discovery.
Integrating Legalview and RelativityOne: To streamline the handling of mobile data in e-discovery, an integration between Cellebrite Legalview and RelativityOne was announced. This integration allows for the seamless transfer of collected and decoded data from Physical Analyzer’s Legalview to RelativityOne, significantly reducing manual conversion efforts and potential errors. With this integration, case teams can efficiently review and process mobile data, keeping it on par with other data types.
Simplifying Data Review and Production: The integration between Physical Analyzer’s Legalview and RelativityOne simplifies the process of reviewing mobile data for case teams. Users can generate reports and upload data directly to Relativity One in the form of an e-discovery load file or Relativity Short Message Format (RSMF).
The seamless integration allows for efficient data review and production workflows. Case teams can generate comprehensive reports within Physical Analyzer’s Legalview, including extracted chat messages, call logs, contacts, and other relevant data. These reports can be easily exported and uploaded directly to RelativityOne, eliminating the need for manual conversion or data manipulation.
By leveraging the power of RelativityOne, case teams can take advantage of its advanced search and analytics capabilities to quickly identify and analyze relevant mobile data. The integration enables seamless searching, filtering, and reviewing of mobile data alongside other case information within the RelativityOne platform. This unified approach streamlines the review process and improves efficiency, ultimately saving time and reducing costs for legal teams.
Furthermore, the integration facilitates the production of mobile data in a format that is compatible with e-discovery requirements. Users can export data from RelativityOne in industry-standard formats, such as load files or RSMF, ensuring compatibility with other e-discovery tools and processes. This simplifies the production process and enables smooth collaboration between different stakeholders involved in the case.
Benefits of Collaboration: The collaboration between Cellebrite and Relativity addresses the challenges associated with mobile data in e-discovery, providing significant benefits to legal professionals. By combining the expertise of both companies, the integration between Physical Analyzer and RelativityOne offers a comprehensive solution for mobile data collection, preservation, review, and production.
Key benefits of this collaboration include:
- Enhanced Efficiency: The integration streamlines the entire mobile data workflow, from collection to review and production, eliminating manual conversion and improving overall efficiency.
- Standardization and Compatibility: The use of industry-standard formats, such as RSMF and load files, ensures compatibility with other e-discovery tools and simplifies data sharing and collaboration between different stakeholders.
- Advanced Search and Analytics: Leveraging RelativityOne’s robust search and analytics capabilities, legal teams can efficiently analyze and identify relevant mobile data alongside other case information, enhancing the overall review process.
- Improved Data Integrity: By utilizing the integration, case teams can ensure the integrity of mobile data throughout the collection and preservation process, mitigating the risk of spoliation or data loss.
Conclusion: As mobile data continues to play a significant role in e-discovery, it is crucial for legal professionals to have reliable and efficient tools to navigate the associated challenges. The collaboration between Relativity and Cellebrite, through the integration of Legalview and RelativityOne, offers a comprehensive solution to address these challenges.
By simplifying the data review and production process, standardizing formats, and leveraging advanced search and analytics capabilities, this integration empowers legal teams to effectively handle mobile data in e-discovery cases. With the ever-increasing importance of mobile data, this collaboration marks a significant step forward in ensuring a seamless and comprehensive approach to mobile data in the legal industry.
To learn more about the integration of Legalview and RelativityOne, you can tune in to our on-demand webinar to hear Monica Harris, Product Business Manager at Cellebrite Enterprise Solutions, and Scott Kohlhoff, Manager, Product and Technology Partnerships at Relativity discuss this in further detail and talk about mobile data collection trends in the industry.
