Wearable devices potentially revolutionizing legal disputes

In the rapidly evolving world of technology, the handling of wearable data is becoming a significant concern, with millions of dollars and potential jail sentences at stake. As the wearable technology market is projected to exceed 5 billion dollars by 2018, it presents a potential logistical nightmare for the legal industry.

Currently, the legal support industry tends to stick to traditional methods, even when faced with technology problems. For instance, in the early days of electronic discovery, attorneys were told all necessary documents could be found in a company's mail server. However, the advent of wearable technology has introduced a new dimension to this landscape.

Fitness bands and similar wearables offload data via Bluetooth to smartphones, which then upload it to the cloud in a form of numeric values. This data, often rolled up into simplistic dashboards, is only presented to the end-user if they have set up an account to access the service. This presents unique logistical challenges in the legal space.

Companies like Palantir Technologies, TIBCO Statistica, and Teradata offer solutions for efficient collection and management of data from wearable technologies. Palantir Technologies' platform Palantir Foundry specializes in data integration, normalization, indexing, hosting, and conversion for large datasets, including health-related data streams from wearable devices. TIBCO Statistica offers scalable analytics with IoT/edge analytics capabilities suitable for industrial and health sectors, while Teradata provides enterprise data warehousing and mining solutions for handling massive data volumes.

However, the current technology solutions in the market mainly focus on the collection, normalization, indexing, hosting, and conversion of email data. As a result, companies exploring the use of wearables should examine their current 'BYOD' policies, as it is likely that most wearables will fall under the same umbrella.

For organizations asking employees to use wearables as part of their job function, a true information governance policy should be considered first. This includes questions about gathering and presenting wearable data to attorneys, the location, form, custodial access, method of collection, and data presentation of data sourced from wearables.

Given these complexities, it is advisable to call in an expert consultant who knows the questions to ask that most haven't thought of yet. The current toolset may struggle to answer difficult questions, and a trial run should be conducted to identify the obstacles that will be encountered within the unique use of these devices.

Attorneys often work with rules established before technology was widespread. Courts have become less forgiving, and pleading ignorance is not as acceptable as it once was. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the changing technological landscape to ensure compliance and efficiency in the handling of wearable data.

Kristopher Wasserman, VP of Client Services at eQ, sourced this information, highlighting the growing importance of addressing these challenges in the legal industry. The e-discovery market is projected to exceed 20 billion dollars by the end of the decade, underscoring the need for robust solutions to handle the influx of data from wearable technologies.