Lowered Standards of Evidence
As we progress through the digital age, courts are addressing questions of whether digital evidence is reliable. Many experts assert that it can be easily planted, deleted, manipulated or hacked without a trace.
Despite previous precedent (eg: US v Vayner) Judge Forrest allowed the government to base its case against Ross almost exclusively on digital evidence. The case rested on images on a screen, authored by anonymous users. Some trial exhibits were tiny files that can be placed on a computer in seconds. In fact, any digital file can be planted, including a bitcoin wallet.
The government did not produce a single witness to testify firsthand that Ross authored any of the communications attributable to DPR.
This ruling sets a precedent that makes it much easier for the government to convict and imprison people. Now, according to Judge Forrest, provable, tangible evidence is not needed to send a person to prison. All you need are chats, emails and screenshots.
Mortgage companies will not accept a screenshot of a bank statement, but Judge Forrest does, to put a man away for life.
Consequently, the defense asserts that the standard of evidence has been lowered for all of us. This puts us all in peril.