Document Workplace Bullying Harassment & Discrimination for Free
Court-Ready Documentation!
Designed for:
- Workplace Harassment
- Workplace Discrimination
- Workplace Bullying
- Hostile Work Environments
Documenting your experiences is one of the most powerful actions you can take against bullying.
Privacy is Protected – Security is Forensic Notes’ #1 Priority
Forensic Notes are securely stored and encrypted so only you can access and read your notes until you decide to provide them to others.
All private data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
[more info]Easily Defend Against Attacks Surrounding the Credibility of Your Dates
The ability to prove when you wrote a note or saved a document is essential in both civil and criminal court.
However, the reality is that it is very easy to change the date of most computer files such as MS Word documents.
Forensic Notes protects your credibility when questioned!
Easily PROVE the Authenticity of Your Notes & Documents
Every Forensic Note PDF is Timestamped by an independent Timestamping Authority (TSA) and then Digitally Signed. A second Timestamp is then obtained before all the information is entered into our proprietary Validation Tool.
Validating a Forensic Note is fast and easy. Simply Drag & Drop!
[more info]No Obligation – No Payment Information Required
Let Us Help You Through This Tough Time!
– Customized Interface & Features –
Workplace harassment is an all-too-common phenomenon in today’s workplaces which can lead to physical and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and panic attacks among those who are victims of it. While it isfrequently of a sexual nature, workplace harassment also takes other forms andmay involve violence, bullying or other abusive, threatening or demeaning behavior…With adequate evidence, such as those which Forensic Notes empowers victims to assemble, a victim of workplace harassment can confidently fight against harassment and potentially receive compensation that could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars…
Why Use Forensic Notes to Document Workplace Harassment?
Stop Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
- Prove* when you were harassed
- Prove* who witnessed the workplace harassment
- Prove* how you felt on any given day as a result of your workplace harassment
- Paper notebooks and electronic files can be easily altered resulting in your credibility being questioned within the courts — Go to court with confidence…Go to court with Forensic Notes which are Digitally Signed and Timestamped by an independent third party proving you made the note on the date stated in your document
With Forensic Notes, you will be able to state in detail all occurrences of workplace harassment, who witnessed the harassment and how you felt as a result of the harassment years after the incident. Would your credibility be questioned in court if you can state in detail what happened two years prior not only for one incident, but numerous incidents and also prove that you had made those notes two years prior?
Disclaimer: * “Prove” does NOT indicate that Forensic Notes provides 100% undeniable proof that something occurred, rather Forensic Notes helps you as the author prove your information taking into account your evidence, background and articulation of the events. With Forensic Notes, you can help prove that you entered the note on a given date and time.
Supported Browser Versions
Forensic Notes supports the current and prior major release of Chrome and Internet Explorer web browsers. Forensic Notes is committed to providing the best user experience to it users through new technology which is offered by the latest browsers. New browsers also provide additional security and protection of your sensitive information which is Forensic Notes #1 priority.
Forensic Notes supports the following browsers:
Future Browser Support
We are currently working to support Firefox, Internet Explorer & Edge browsers. If you would like to be notified when Forensic Notes can be accessed with these browsers, please enter your email below.
Cookies and JavaScript
Cookies and JavaScript must be enabled to properly use the Forensic Notes application.
What is an Electronic Sigature (eSignature)?
Electronic signatures (eSignatures) are the equivalent of a handwritten signature in the paper world. In simple terms, an electronic signature is simply a digital image of a signature displayed within an electronic document.
What is a Digital Signature?
Digital signatures strengthen electronic signatures by encrypting the contents of a document which allows applications to detect if the document was tampered with or altered.
Although digital signatures appear to be complicated, the knowledge required to use and validate digitally signed documents associated with Forensic Notes is minimal.
For most people using Forensic Notes, the above information is all that is needed to understand the Digital Signing process.
Forensic Notes Proprietary Validation Tool will complete the complex validation and simply display the validity of the document as either being Valid (Green) or Invalid (Red).
Technical Information – Digital Signature
The digital signature relies on a digital fingerprint which is a SHA-512 Hash value. The Hash value is calculated using a one-way encryption algorithm which generates the unique value for the document.
The only way to generate a duplicate SHA-512 Hash value is if an exact duplicate file is analyzed.
The digital fingerprint is then encrypted with a Private Key through a process involving Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
As part of the Digital Signing process utilized by Forensic Notes, an independent digital timestamp is obtained from DigiStamp, our Timstamping Authority (TSA).
DigiStamp is trusted by large banks, government agencies and global organizations.
The digital timestamp is embedded within the Digital Signature at the time of signing. This allows the person viewing the document to know the exact data and time the document was digitally signed.
The result is an electronic document that is designed to detect tampering and modifications. If any modification or tampering of the document occurs, the signature becomes invalid and will fail to validate using Forensic Notes Proprietary Validation Tool.
In addition, the digital signature can be checked and validated within Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.
Digital Signature – What does it mean for you?
From a legal perspective, this allows the creator of the Forensic Note to prove that a note or attached document existed at the date and time specified.
Not only can the owner prove that the note or attachment existed, but also that it has not been modified or altered since the signature was applied.
This is vital for admitting documents into a court room – as there may be challenges about the reliability of your documents and the time they were actually written.
Can you PROVE when you created a note or document?
Many people are not aware that a document can be easily manipulated to appear as if it was created days, months or even years in the past. The process can be easily accomplished by:
- Setting back the computers clock
- Creating a document
- Saving the document
- Resetting the computer clock
The result will be a document that appears to have been created in the past. Although it may be possible for an experienced digital forensic examiner to determine the original date, the process to do so is both difficult and time consuming.
Digital Signatures and Forensic Notes Proprietary Validation Tool solves the problem of being unable to prove when a document was saved. This ensures that the author of each Forensic Note can easily PROVE when a note or document was created.
As a result, you will be able to present your notes and documents and face any scrutiny with credibility and integrity.
Forensic Notes allows you to validate the authenticity of notes and attachments by physical file or by providing a SHA-512 Hash. To determine the SHA-512 Hash of your physical file, we suggest you download the following tool. Although it looks a bit ‘dated’, it is one of the easier to use applications for this purpose.
HashMyFiles by NirSoft
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/hash_my_files.html
Download links can be found near the bottom of the page.
Every Forensic Note and Forensic Notebook is Digitally Signed by a Digital Signing Certificate issued by Comodo, a Certificate Authority (CA). By default, Adobe Reader / Acrobat do not have knowledge of the certificate which results in the warning “At least one signature has problems” (as shown below).
To properly validate your Forensic Notes and Forensic Notebooks, follow the steps outlined below which will add the Digital Signing Certificate to your list of Truststed Certificates. The following steps only need to be completed once on each computer viewing Forensic Notes and Notebooks.
NOTE: The following instructions are for Adobe Acrobat Reader CS. Other versions of Adobe Acrobat will have similar features and options.
Step #1 – Signature Panel
1. Click on “Signature Panel”
2. Click the dropdown menu next to “Validate All”
3. Click on “Validate Signature”
4. Click the “Signature Properties…” button
Step #2 – Signature Properties
The following menu shows the properties of the Digital Signature. As shown, the Forensic Note has not been modified since it was Digitally Signed.
1. Click the “Show Signer’s Certificate…” button
Step #3 – Certificate Viewer – Summary
The following menu shows further information related to the Digital Certificate.
1. Click the “Trust” tab
Step #4 – Certificate Viewer – Trust
The following menu shows that the associated Digital Certificate is not trusted.
1. Click the “Add to Trusted Certificates…” button
Step #5 – Add Trust Settings
This following menu allows you to set the Trust level for the Digital Certificate associated with Forensic Notes and Notebooks. To properly validate Forensic Notes and Notebooks, you only need to ensure that the following two (2) options are selected:
1. Use this certificate as a trusted root
2. Certified documents
3. Click “Ok” to save changes
Dynamic Content, Embedded high privilege JavaScript and Privileged system operation options do NOT need to be selected. These can cause potential security concerns in some environments and are not required for validating Forensic Notes.
Step #6 – Validate Signature
Now that the Digital Certificate is trusted within Adobe Reader/Acrobat, the Forensic Note or Notebook must be re-validated as it will continue to show errors until completed.
1. Click on menu icon next to “Validate All”
2. Click on “Validate Signature”
The Digital Signature will be re-validated now that the Digital Certificate is trusted.
Step #7 – Valid Signature
The Signature Panel should now show the following message:
“Signed and all signatures are valid”
View List of Trusted Certificates – Adobe Reader
To view the list of Trusted Certificates within Adobe Reader, following these steps:
1. Click “Preferences…” within “Edit” menu
2. Click “Signatures”
3. Click “More…” button within “Identities & Trusted Certificates”
4. View list of Trusted Certificates
Forensic Notes are timestamped by DigiStamp, an independent & trusted Timestamping Authority (TSA). DigiStamps’ Timestamp Certificate (.p7s extension file) is used to verify the date and time of your Forensic Note if the validity of the Forensic Note is ever questioned.
Timestamp Validation NOT Always Required!
The instructions within this article are provided to validate a Forensic Note with the generated Timestamp Certificate. However, validation via timestamp should only occur if the validity of the Forensic Note is questioned as the steps below are more complex than using the Forensic Notes Proprietary Validation Tool.
Steps:
1. Open the Forensic Note ZIP Archive (.zip) that you downloaded from your account
2. Locate the Forensic Note and Timestamp Certificate
3. Extract files from ZIP Archive into a regular folder
4. Go to: DigiStamp Timestamp Verification Tool
5. Drag & Drop the files into the DigiStamp Timestamp Verification application or press the “Choose Files” button to select your files from within File Explorer.
NOTE: Your personal information is not uploaded to the DigiStamp server.
~ Screen capture from DigiStamp site shown above (“Click to show instruction” clicked)
Verified Valid Timestamp
The following display confirms that the timestamp matches the Forensic Note. The date & time saved within the Timestamp Certificate is displayed within the DigiStamp confirmation application.
Good to Know – Filename Changes
Changing the filename of the Forensic Note or Timestamp Certificate has no effect on the validation process.
Changing a filename does not change the contents of the file or its’ HASH value. The HASH (SHA-512) value is used to validate a file with an associated timestamp.
Good to Know – UTC or GMT?
All dates & times stored or displayed are in UTC (Universal Time Coordinated).
UTC = GMT (Greenwich Mean Time
Technically, UTC is a time standard whereas GMT is time zone. Both are often used interchangeably and represent the same time offset.
Invalid Timestamp
Timestamp Certificate does not match the Forensic Note
The following shows that the Timestamp Certificate does not match the Forensic Note provided. If the filenames match but the following information is displayed, then this could be an indication that the Forensic Note has been altered in some way.
Each Forensic Note PDF has been Digitally Signed by DocumentSigning@ForensicNotes.com. As a result, any attempts to change the Forensic Notes PDF will result in a warning to the user when the Forensic Note is viewed within Adobe Reader / Acrobat as shown below.
Invalid Forensic Note – Document was changed
The above warnings indicate that the Forensic Note was modified in some way since it was originally saved and signed within the Forensic Notes application.
Valid Forensic Note
Digital Signature Not Trusted (Expected on 1st time viewing)
The certificate associated with the Digital Signature has not been trusted on the computer viewing the Forensic Note. This is expected when first viewing a Forensic Note on a computer for the first time. For steps on how to trust the Digital Certificate associated with the Digital Signature, go to How to Trust Digital Signing Certificate.
Valid Forensic Note
Adobe Reader / Acrobat Validation NOT Always Required!
The instructions within this article are provided to validate a Forensic Note via Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat. However, validation via the Forensic Notes Proprietary Validation Tool is recommended due to its ease of use and validation capabilities.
1. Open a Forensic Note / Notebook within Adobe Reader or Acrobat and ensure that the “Valid Forensic Note” signature panel is displayed (see below). If Digital Certificate has not been trusted, go to Trust Digital Signing Certificate and follow the instructions before proceeding.
2. Confirm that the PDF has been Digitally Signed by DocumentSigning@forensicnotes.com
3. Confirm that the document has not been modified since the signature was applied.
4. Confirm that the signing time of the document approximately matches the time you have recorded within the Forensic Note or Forensic Notebook. To view the signing time of the Forensic Note, you must “Show Signature Properties…”.
Dates & Times – Why Approximately?
While validating a Forensic Note or a Forensic Notebook, up to three (3) different dates & times may be found which will all be valid if they fall within a couple minutes of each other due to how Forensic Notes are processed. Forensic Notes are processed in three (3) distinctive steps:
Step #1 – Database Save
Forensic Note information in saved read-only into the database. The date and time associated with saving the data into the Forensic Notes application is recorded and printed within the generated PDF.
Step #2 – Digital Signature Applied
A Forensic Notes PDF is generated which includes the printed date and time from Step #1. The Forensic Note PDF is then Digitally Signed with a Digital Signing Certificate. The date and time associated with the Digital Signature is recorded within the Digital Signature. This Digital Signature’s signing date can then be displayed within the PDF as the Signing Date & Time. (see Validate via Adobe Reader / Acrobat – Step #4)
Step #3 – Timestamp Generated
A one-way HASH of the Forensic Note PDF is sent to our independent and trusted third-party Timestamping Authority (TSA) which provides a timestamp of the Forensic Note or Forensic Notebook. The date and time associated with the timestamping is recorded within the Digital Timestamp Certificate and returned to the Forensic Notes application. (see Validate via Timestamp Certificate)
These three (3) steps are normally processed quickly resulting in minimal differences in times associated with all three steps. However, larger documents or heavy network utilization may result in longer delays between steps causing more significant time differences. As a result, times should approximately match within a couple minutes’ difference.
Fake a Date – File Metadata | ForensicNoteshttps://forensicnotes.wistia.com/medias/yco44b3enj
Change File Dates | Forensic Noteshttps://forensicnotes.wistia.com/medias/kq058tduv5
EEOC – What is the EEOC? | Forensic Noteshttps://forensicnotes.wistia.com/medias/3zmgro9ige
Workplace Harassment, Bullying & Discrimination | Forensic Noteshttps://forensicnotes.wistia.com/medias/zg6dqhow7q
Validate Forensic Notebooks, Notes and Attachments – How To | Forensic Noteshttps://forensicnotes.wistia.com/medias/93n0zsywsf
© TwiceSafe Software Solutions Inc. | All Rights Reserved
TwiceSafe Software Solutions Inc. DOES NOT provide any legal advice and users of this web site should consult with a lawyer to determine if the information provided on this site is valid for their given circumstances. Use of this web site is governed by our Terms & Conditions; refer to this document for more information.
How do I add additional Team Members to my Account?
You can add additional Team Members to your account by clicking on the “Manage Team” menu item (upper right corner).
NOTE: You MUST be an administrator of the account to add & remove Team Members.
The Manage Team page will allow you to add, modify and remove Team Members.
To Add new Team Members, click on “Invite New Team Members” button.
You can invite multiple Team Members at the same time by sending an invite to their email address.
The invited Team Member will receive an email similar to the following…
Upon clicking the “Join Your Team Now” button, the user will be directed to create a new account.
The user will be able to create a normal account or utilize a Social Media Account to login.
The create account process will require them to enter an email address and name.
Upon creating a new account, the user will remain locked out of the application until the Admin has authorized final access.
The Admin who originally invited the new Team Member will receive the following email requesting final approval.
If a different email address was used to create the account, this discrepancy will be highlighted within the email.
Upon “Allow Access”, the new Team Member will receive a final email advising them that they can now login to the Team Account.
Can other Team Members edit my notes?
No, Team Members will only be able to view your Timestamped Notes.
How do I create a new Note?
You can create a new note by:
- Clicking the “Add New Note / Incident on…” button located above existing notes.
OR
- Clicking the ‘new’ button within the “Selected Notebook” panel.
How do I expand/view the “All Notebooks” and “Selected Notebook” panel?
Desktop:
You can expand either panel by clicking on the appropriate collapsed panel.
Mobile:
On mobile devices, you can only view one panel at a time. To view either panel, simply click on the appropriate panel icon.
How should I document Workplace incidents within Forensic Notes?
The main point to remember is to always document incidents with fact-based information that shows that your interpretation of the incident is fair and accurate. For further details, please refer to our Top 12 Best Practice Guidelines for Recording and Documenting Evidence.
I just completed my first note. What should I do now?
First off, we want to acknowledge that you’ve taken an important and difficult first step. The fact that you recognize the need to document workplace issues shows that you’ve likely been the target of co-workers bullying or discriminating against you. Your next step will be to continue to utilize this service and document all incidents at work which you believe will provide a clearer picture of the issues you face.
Fact-based and detailed information is key to providing documentation that will be trusted by others to be truthful and accurate.
If I need to bring my notes to a lawyer, what should I do?
We recommend that you download the Forensic Notebook associated with your incident that you wish to discuss with your lawyer. Instructions for downloading a Forensic Notebook can be found here.
Since your initial meeting with a lawyer may be quick without access to a computer, we also recommend that you print a copy of your Notebook and take that printed copy with you to your meeting so that your lawyer can read over your information.
How do I download my notes?
Details on how to download your notes can be found within the Download FAQ section found here.
If I need to bring my notes to my HR department what should I do?
Please follow the instructions above in “If I need to bring my notes to a lawyer,…”
If I need to PROVE these notes are authentic, what do I do?
Being able to PROVE that your notes are authentic is the main benefit of Forensic Notes. This can be easily accomplished by following the detailed instructions on Validation found here.
I have a 2nd harasser, what do I do?
You will want to create a 2nd Notebook within the “All Notebooks” panel by clicking on the “New” button.
It is important to keep this information separate to show that it is unrelated to your original harasser.
Is Forensic Notes secure?
Forensic Notes is highly secure utilizing the most advanced security and encryption techniques. For details (not marketing hype) regarding our security, please view our Security & Data Encryption page.
Does anyone at Forensic Notes read my private notes or file attachments?
The quick answer is…
No. Security of your private information is our #1 priority!
We will never read your notes or attachments. Period!
The longer technical answer is…
Every note and attachment added to Forensic Notes is encrypted with a unique encryption key (CEK). This encryption key is then encrypted with a global encryption key (KEK) retrieved from Microsoft’s Azure KeyVault. In order to decrypt your note or any attachments, the note and attachment encryption key (CEK) must be decrypted within Microsoft’s Azure KeyVault which tracks and records every decryption request.
We give you our word that we will never read you private notes of attachments. This statement can be backed up if ever required by providing independent audit logs from Microsoft to an authority if required.
For technical details on how we encrypt and decrypt your data, please refer to our Security & Data Encryption page. If you ever have any questions regarding security of your notes and information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to fully explain in detail how your information is protected.
Security of your private information is our #1 priority!
Are my private notes or documents sent and stored with the TSA (Time Stamp Authority)?
No!
Your note or attachments are never sent to any third-party websites.
A digital hash (fingerprint) of your document is created upon saving your information within Forensic Notes. This digital hash is a one-way hash value which can’t be reversed to determine the contents it was based on.
For more information on Hashing and how we obtain a Timestamp, please refer to our Timestamping Authority (TSA)page.
I made a mistake and now I want to change / edit a Forensic Note?
A Forensic Note cannot be edited once it has been finalized. This is to protect the integrity of notes and is one of the core principles Forensic Notes is built on.
If you realized after finalizing a note that something was incorrect or needs to be changed, the best method is to create a new note while referring to the original note. You should also provide an explanation regarding what errors or issues your original note contained. You can then mark your old note as “Deleted”.
This is similar to paper notes within a notebook. Your credibility in court would be questioned if you provided a notebook with torn out pages. Instead, the proper way is to cross-out the note you made in error which still allows the courts to read your existing note to determine if it has value.
Forensic Notes works in the same manner allowing you to ‘cross-out’ an existing note while providing a reason on why it is not valid. This is accomplished by:
- Selecting a Forensic Note
- Clicking on the “Mark Forensic Note as Deleted” icon
This will result in a dialog box allowing you to enter the reason why you would like to “Delete” this particular Forensic Note.
The Forensic Note is now marked as “Deleted” but still visible if required. This note will also be included in any future Forensic Notebooks, but will be clearly marked as “Deleted” along with the reason you provided for the deletion.
Why can’t I just use Forensic Notes like a regular editor and make changes if I want? I don’t like the idea of locking my notes!
The good news is that you are not forced to finalize (or “lock”) your notes. You can leave them in an editable state for as long as you want. The editor auto-saves each entry allowing you to edit at any point until you finalize it.
But please remember that you will not be able to PROVE you wrote the notes by a particular date without finalizing them.
One of my notes contains sensitive tactics that can’t be disclosed in court. Is there any way to hide this information?
We are currently developing the ability to ‘redact’ a note or portions of a note within Forensic Notebooks.
Until this feature is released, we suggest that you manually redact the information using Adobe Acrobat.
This will make the Forensic Notebook invalid if authenticated, however you can individually validate each Forensic Note to show that only the information contained in this one note was redacted.=
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact us.
Can I add file attachments and existing electronic files?
Attachments can be added by:
- Dragging & Dropping any electronic file from Windows File Explorer onto the File Attachment Upload control.
- Clicking “Choose a file…” button
File Size Limits:
File size limit currently set at 100MB per file. If you require a larger file size limit, please contact us with the request.
Why don’t you have spell correction within the editor?
Native spell correction is enabled which results in misspelled words being underlined with a red squiggly line. Since the editor has many advanced features, the default Spell Checker capabilities have been disabled when you right-click on a misspelled word.
To view correct spelling suggestions, you must hold down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard while right-clicking with your mouse pointer on the misspelled word.
This will allow you to select a suggested correction.
Can I add images into my notes?
Yes, images can be added by:
- Dragging & Dropping an image from Windows File Explorer into the editor
- Clicking the “Insert Image” button within the editor toolbar
NOTE: Due to functionality or account limitations, images can’t be added to notes on Mobile devices or within Workplace Harassments accounts. However, images can still be added as attachments to the note in both circumstances.
Image File Size Limits:
Although there is no Image File Size Limit, images greater than 1MB can degrade the performance of your browser depending on the specifications of your computer hardware.
For original photographs taken with digital cameras, it is recommended that you either reduce the file size prior to including or add the images as “Attachments” to the note.
Can I edit an image within the editor?
Yes, the editor allows you to complete common image editing tasks within the editor such as:
- Resize image
- Crop image
- Edit image
- Remove image
Resize & Crop Image
Edit Image
The “Edit Image” feature allows you to add:
- Diagrams
- Text
- Arrows & Objects
- Handwritten text
NOTE: To allow images to be included in notes, the image will be saved as a flat image. As a result, you will not be able to modify individual objects within the editor once they are placed on the canvas.
Eg: Once an arrow has been placed on the canvas, you will not be able to edit the size or position of the arrow once you click to edit a different object. However, you can ‘erase’ or cover-up sections as required.
Edit & Markup Photographs
If I want to separately print the images I include within my notes, should I also add them as an attachment to keep the same size and quality?
Luckily, we’ve already thought of this and recognize how important those images can be to your file. All images added to a note are also saved in full resolution as an “embedded” attachment which can be printed separately if required.
Am I able to add hand-written notes and diagrams?
Yes, we designed our editor to allow handwritten notes and diagrams.
You can:
- Scan paper notes and add them as attachments or place them inline within your notes
OR
- Use our “Handwritten Note” editor
Handwritten Note Editor
On Desktop and Tablet computers, you can create handwritten notes and diagrams within the Forensic Notes application.
The above icon will open the “Handwritten Note” editor.
Within the “Handwritten Note” editor, you can add/change:
- Handwriting
- Typed text
- Lines, arrows and various objects
- Paper type (Blue Lined, Black Lined, Graph, Blank)
Performance Note:
The handwriting feature can be CPU intensive on older tablets and budget computers. If the application feels slow to respond, please check your CPU usage and shutdown un-required applications.
Mac O/S – Viewing / Opening ZIP Files
The Mac O/S does not natively open password protected ZIP archive files which are used to download your Notes and Notebooks.
The error provided by the Mac O/S can be vague making it seem like the download was corrupted.
Several paid software packages are available but for a FREE option, we suggest Keka. (http://www.kekaosx.com/en/doc.php)
What is the format of a Forensic Note if I download it?
Forensic Notes and Forensic Notebooks are both saved in PDF format and therefore readable on any device capable of viewing PDF documents.
Each Forensic Note and Forensic Notebook is associated with a digital Timestamp issued by an Independent and Trusted Timestamping Authority (TSA).
Forensic Notes and Forensic Notebooks are downloaded within a password protected ZIP archive to help ensure the security of your private information.
How do I download a Forensic Note?
You can download the currently selected Forensic Note via:
Desktop:
- “Download Forensic Note” link
– Located in the upper right corner of the screen (if visible)
Download icon within the “Selected Notebook” panel
Mobile:
- Download icon within the “Selected Notebook” panel
NOTE: You MUST select the note you want to download prior to initiating the download process.
How do I download a Forensic Notebook?
You can download the currently selected Forensic Notebook via:
Desktop:
- “Download Forensic Notebook” link
– Located in upper right corner of the screen (is visible) - Download icon within the “Selected Notebook” panel
Mobile:
- Download icon within the “Selected Notebook” panel
NOTE: You MUST have the Forensic Notebook root node selected to download the Notebook.
How do I extract the files from the downloaded ZIP file?
For details on how to extract the files from the password protected ZIP archive, please refer to our article “Extract Forensic Notes from ZIP”.
What happens if I forget the password I set for my ZIP archive downloads?
Desktop:
The password can be retrieved by hovering your mouse over the ‘eye’ symbol within the “Download Forensic Note” link.
Mobile:
Sorry, your password can’t currently be viewed on mobile devices.
Please log into your Forensic Notes account on a desktop and follow instructions above.
Why do I have to set a different password for downloading ZIP Archives from my login credentials?
You should always keep your login credentials safe & secure using a complex password. As with all sensitive accounts that contain private information, you should use a different password for each account.
Since your password is safely secured with Microsoft Azure B2C Active Directory, Forensic Notes does not have access to this information. As a result, we require you to provide a new password for downloading your sensitive files. And since security of your data is our #1 priority, we strongly suggest that you pick a different password or phrase than you normally use.
How do I validate a Forensic Note or Forensic Notebook?
You can validate a Forensic Note or Forensic Notebook three (3) different ways, including:
- Forensic Notes Validation Tool (drag & drop)
- Adobe Reader & Acrobat
- Digital Timestamp Certificate
The easiest solution is to use our proprietary Validation Tool (#1 option above).
Further information on validation can be found at:
Once you are ready to download a Forensic Note or Forensic Notebook, refer to the Download FAQ section.
Information on how to validate your files is also discussed.
Once you have decided what type of Notebook you want to create, you can create the type of notebook you need within the “All Notebooks” panel.
Changing Notebook Name:
In the video above, the user double-clicks on the notebook name to go into edit mode so that the Notebook name can be changed.
Edit Note Name
Double-clicking Notebook and Note name to go into edit mode works on both desktop and mobile devices.
The new Notebook will automatically show up within the “Selected Notebook” panel when it is created.
A new note within the Notebook can now be created by clicking the “New” button.
A new non-timestamped note will then be created.
Editor Overview
The advanced editor has many features including an auto-save feature to ensure you do not lose your notes.
Auto-Save Feature
Auto-Save – Date & Time Displayed
The editor will display the last time a note was saved in the lower right corner.
Additional Editor Features
The editor also has the following features:
- Spell correction
- Adding images into your notes
- Editing images
- Adding hand-written notes and diagrams
- And many more…
Editor Features – FAQ
For information on how to complete the above tasks and many more, refer to our Editor FAQ page.
Timestamping A Note
When you are ready to Timestamp your note, click the “Timestamp” button below the editor.
This will:
- Generate a PDF of your note
- Digitally sign your PDF with an electronic signature and add a timestamp from an independent timestamping authority. (This process generates a Forensic Note)
- A second timestamp is then obtained for the Forensic Note (PDF)
Generating a Forensic Note is like carving your note in solid granite.
Once you generate a Forensic Note, you will not be able to change that note.
Editable copies of your Forensic Note can be created but the original Forensic Note will remain un-altered.
Timestamping – Further Information
If you are interested in the technical details of timestamping a note, please refer to our detailed article “Timestamping Authority (TSA)“.
Editing Notes
To edit a note, click the “Edit Note” button as shown below.
As shown in the above video, you do not have to re-timestamp the new note until you are ready.
Editing a Forensic Note – Actually You are Creating a Copy to Edit!
Each time you edit a timestamped note (Forensic Note), you create a copy of the original and edit the new copy.
The original Forensic Note (Timestamped Note) remains un-altered.
Although you can change the date and time of the note entry, this does not affect the actual timestamp which can be used to show when you saved the note.
As a result, editing Forensic Notes should only occur to correct minor mistakes such as spelling, grammar or to further clarify existing information.
Attempting to change a notes original meaning or removing information you no longer want disclosed can be discovered by the opposing party.
This is because the original note will be part of the Forensic Notebook you download for legal disclosure.
Instead of removing information, you should instead Redact the information as you normally would.
Forensic Notes increases your credibility because you can prove that you are providing all information you have related to an incident.
As discussed within the “Types of Notebooks” section, only the following notebooks allow editing of Forensic Notes:
- General Notebooks
- Forensic Notebooks (w/ edits)
As shown in the image above, you can view All Timestamped Notes (Forensic Notes) by clicking on the icon indicated which will result in the following view.
As you can see above, the original Timestamped note (Forensic Note) is still visible and available for download.
All versions of a Forensic Note will be displayed in this view with each version clearly identified.
Full Disclosure – Editing Notes
When you download a Forensic Notebook, it will include all previous versions of Forensic Notes to provide full disclosure.
Which Notebook is Right for You?
Forensic Notes offers three (3) different types of Notebooks to meet your specific needs.
- Forensic Notebook *
- Forensic Notebook (w/ edits) *
- General Notebook
* Professional account required
Forensic Notebooks
Forensic Notebooks are the purest form of contemporaneous notes.
If full-disclosure is a legal requirement you need to abide by, then a Forensic Notebook is what you need.
Forensic Notebook
This is the closest replication of a bound paper notebook and pen in electronic form.
Like pen and paper, once you write a note (and timestamp it), the note will remain as written.
No edits or modifications allowed.
Any notes that are marked as ‘deleted’ will be crossed out.
Date & Time associated with an individual note is obtained from the timestamp certificate issued upon completion of a note.
Main Advantage:
- Full-Disclosure
- Each note is Digitally Signed, Timestamped and saved as a Forensic Note
Write-Once, Read-Many (WORM)
Forensic Notebooks that don’t allow edits are also referred to as a WORM Notebook (Write-Once, Read-Many).
Forensic Notebook (w/ edits)
This is for those that need a Forensic Notebook for documenting actions, but still want the ability to edit notes afterwards.
This notebook is ideal for making the following types of ‘tidying up’ corrections:
- Spelling
- Grammatical
- Date & Time*
- Clarifying information
Editing of notes is not intended to:
- Remove notes you no longer want to disclose
- Change a theory or step previously taken
This is because the above changes would be disclosed within the downloaded Forensic Notebook PDF.
Every previous version of a note, generated when a new version is timestamped, is included at the back of the downloaded PDF.
Create a professional version of your notes while still adhering to full-disclosure rules.
Main Advantage:
- Full-Disclosure
- Each note is Digitally Signed, Timestamped and saved as a Forensic Note
- Ability to ‘tidy up’ notes
Full-Disclosure Note:
The note will display the timestamped Date & Time of every previous note. Previous versions of the note with the original timestamp can be used to confirm when you made your original note and if its ‘true meaning’ has changed since that time.
General Notebook
This is for general note-taking, offering all the same features as a Forensic Notebook without full-disclosure.
Not For Legal Purposes
This notebook is not meant for legal purposes. But, individual notes can be timestamped creating a Forensic Note.
Forensic Notes can be used in legal situations.
General Notebooks do not limit your ability to edit or delete existing notes. You are in full control.
Main Advantage:
- Downloaded PDF Notebook only includes the notes you want to disclose (deleted notes are not included).
Within the “Selected Notebook” panel, you have several options as shown in the image below.
Create New Note
This option will allow you to either create a new note or folder.
Folders are solely for helping to organize your notes within the Forensic Notes application.
Folders do not affect the final Notebook when it is generated as a PDF.
Download
This option will allow you to download either a single Timestamped Note (Forensic Note) or a Notebook depending on if you have the root node (Notebook) or an individual Forensic Note selected.
Delete Note
This option will allow you to delete a non-Timestamped Forensic Notes.
See below for information on “Mark Forensic Notes as Deleted” option.
Deleting Forensic Notes – “Mark Forensic Note as Deleted”
Forensic Notes cannot be deleted once they are timestamped.
Similar to the idea that you cannot permanently remove or cover up a note written in pen in a paper notebook, you can’t permanently delete a timestamped note in your electronic notebook.
Instead, we allow you mark the note as deleted which still allows the note to be readable, but crossed out to indicate that a mistake was made.
You are also able to provide a reason for the deletion which will be included in your Forensic Notebook PDFs.
For further information on how to Mark Forensic Notes as Deleted, refer to the
“FAQ – How Do I?” section.
Audit Logs
Audit Logs within this section only show actions taken against the currently selected Forensic Notebook.
Audit Logs are only generated for actions involving Forensic Notebooks and Forensic Notes. Actions against Non-Timestamped Notes and General Notebooks are not captured.
Audit Logs – Admins Only!
This option is only available to Administrators of your account.
Regular users will not be able to see the audit logs.
For more information on managing Team Members, click here.
View All Timestamped Notes (Forensic Notes)
This option is only available for:
- General Notebooks
- Forensic Notebooks (w/ edits)
This option allows you to view all timestamped notes associated with your Forensic Notebook including older versions.
Both General and Forensic Notebooks (w/ edits) allow you to edit existing notes and re-timestamp as required.
When you choose to edit a timestamped note, the system will make a copy of your original timestamped note to edit. The original timestamped note (Forensic Note) will remain un-altered and available if required.
To switch back to viewing “Active Documents”, click the Notebook icon as shown in the image below.
Editor Overview
Editor Features
The Note Editor contains many features, for further details refer to our “FAQs – Editor Features” section.