It’s not often that I can praise Toledo (which I live near) as a technology leader. However, in yesterday’s Blade, a story by Mark Reiter gives me something legit to praise: the local federal district court is using iPods to pass out evidence to defendants for review. I’ve got a call in to Jeff Helmick, who’s quoted in the story, to ask some follow-up questions; check back here for an update.
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Good idea. Quoting toledoblade.com: “Mr. Helmick said the devices… ensure that defendants and attorneys cannot reproduce the recordings, which was a concern of the court.”
I’m curious as to how these iPods have been modified… programs to perfectly scrape data off iPods are readily availabe, and a simple stereo cable allows an analog dub; then again, CDs don’t support DRM either. Controlling highly sensitive information while allowing flexible distribution is an issue that will certainly develop quickly if this kind of idea takes off.
For now, the iPods haven’t been modified; they’re kept by the US Marshal’s office, and they can only be signed out by the defense attorneys for use in a segregated listening area. I think that’s a reasonable first cut, since it makes the iPodded material equally available to defendants who are being held in pre-trial detention and those who are free on bond.