Are screenshots admissible in court as evidence?

Sometimes, with the right authentication. The proponent has to produce enough evidence to support a finding that the screenshot is what the proponent claims it is. A native phone screenshot has no integrity mechanism (no SHA-256 hash, no qualified timestamp, no chain of custody), which makes it vulnerable to authentication challenges. A capture sealed with a cryptographic hash, a signature and a timestamp, accompanied by a signed declaration from the person who made it, is what can support a finding that the record is what the proponent claims it is. In US federal court that is the self-authentication route of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Admissibility is ultimately decided by the court on a case-by-case basis.

How do I authenticate social media evidence (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok) for court?

Authenticating social media evidence takes two things: circumstantial support for who authored the item, and proof that the item itself has not changed. Best practice in 2026: (1) capture the post, the surrounding profile and any reposts as a single forensic bundle, so the bundle itself carries the circumstantial support for authorship; (2) seal the capture with a SHA-256 hash + RSA-4096 signature + Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchor at the moment of capture; (3) capture HTTP metadata to rebut spoofing defenses; (4) have the person who made the capture sign a declaration that references the manifest, signature and OpenTimestamps proof (in a US matter, the self-authentication route). ProofSnap's Chrome/Edge extension automates steps 1-3.

What are the self-authentication rules for electronic records?

Two categories of self-authenticating evidence added to the Federal Rules of Evidence on December 1, 2017: one for certified records generated by an electronic process or system, one for certified data copied from a device, storage medium or file and authenticated by digital identification, in practice a hash. See the full guide to self-authenticating web evidence.

What is the best evidence preservation software for lawyers in 2026?

It depends on volume, deployment and whether the matter has EU exposure. ProofSnap is a Chrome and Edge extension at $18.99 per seat per month (Company Plan, minimum 2 seats). It adds a Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchor on every plan except Essential, eIDAS qualified timestamps on Company and Enterprise, and a $4.99 SnapPack a client can use before the retainer is signed. Platforms built for enterprise-scale collection suit corporate investigations teams that collect at volume.

Is ProofSnap a substitute for a notary, expert witness, or legal advice?

No. ProofSnap is a digital evidence preservation tool, not a legal service. It does not provide legal advice, replace a notary act, or guarantee admissibility; admissibility is decided by the court on a case-by-case basis. ProofSnap strengthens the technical foundation for authentication; a qualified person still signs the certification the self-authentication rules require, and counsel handles any motions in limine. For high-stakes matters, you may still retain a forensic expert, and their starting foundation is the ProofSnap ZIP, which shortens the engagement. Before you retain anyone, it is worth reading where the Daubert line falls for digital evidence, because most web exhibits are authenticated without an expert at all.

How is ProofSnap different from Everlaw, Relativity, or Logikcull?

Complementary, not competing. Relativity, Everlaw, Logikcull, Filevine, and CaseMap handle e-discovery at scale, review, privilege, and production for documents already in your possession. ProofSnap handles the capture moment: the instant a live web page, social media post, marketplace listing, or behind-login dashboard needs to be preserved before it changes or disappears. Think of it as the front-end capture tool that feeds your existing e-discovery stack.

Can you capture content that is behind login (private groups, DMs, dashboards)?

Yes. ProofSnap is a Chrome/Edge desktop browser extension that captures exactly what the authenticated browser session is showing: public posts, private profiles, group content, direct messages, marketplace dashboards, account-state pages, internal admin views. Authentication is the user's own session; ProofSnap does not bypass logins or scrape.

Can my client capture evidence before retaining me?

Yes, and it works well in fast-moving matters. The client purchases SnapPack ($4.99 one-time, 10 forensic captures) directly on getproofsnap.com, captures the posts right away, and emails you the ZIPs before the retainer is signed. Same forensic ZIP structure your firm would produce; no firm subscription required. Particularly useful for NCII, defamation, fraud, and breach-of-contract matters where the content may be deleted before counsel is engaged.

E-discovery production: native format, Bates stamping and DMS integration?

Dual-track. Native: produce the ZIP itself as a single native exhibit; manifest.json + evidence.pdf provide a human-readable index. Bates-stamped TIFF/PDF: evidence.pdf is the standard-format exhibit your litigation-support team Bates-stamps; companion files (metadata.json, forensic_log.json, manifest.json.ots) are produced with sub-Bates numbers (e.g., PS000123.001). ZIPs file into your existing DMS (Clio, iManage, NetDocuments).

Do I need eIDAS qualified timestamps for a US case?

Almost never for US-only matters. Under the self-authentication rules the operative requirement is a certification by a qualified person; an OpenTimestamps anchor supports it but does not replace it. eIDAS qualified timestamps carry the presumption of accuracy of date, time and data integrity under Article 41(2) of the eIDAS Regulation, valuable for cross-border matters (EU-domiciled defendant, foreign platform, DSA takedown proceeding, GDPR action). Company Plan includes 5 eIDAS qualified timestamps per user per month; Enterprise ($28.99 per month) includes 10 eIDAS qualified timestamps per month.

What if the content has already been deleted before I capture?

ProofSnap captures live content; it cannot retrieve content that is already gone. For deleted content: (1) the client's existing screenshots can be wrapped in a SHA-256 + OpenTimestamps envelope via ProofSnap's File Certification feature. This establishes that the file has not been modified since certification, but it does not retroactively prove the original content was authentic; (2) issue platform preservation letters and subpoenas; (3) check the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine; (4) for NCII, check StopNCII; for DMCA, check the Lumen database. Best practice in any matter: capture with ProofSnap the moment the matter is opened, before any takedown demand alerts the poster.

How long does the evidence stay verifiable?

Designed to remain verifiable indefinitely. The TSA certificate chain, the root certificate and the OCSP and CRL revocation data are bundled inside the ZIP, so the eIDAS stamp can be checked offline years later. The Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchor is preserved by the entire Bitcoin network, independent of ProofSnap's continued existence. Verification requires only three standard open-source tools: python3, openssl and the ots client.

For civil-litigation attorneys · US · UK · CA · AU · EU

Your client's screenshots get challenged. Yours come with the proof.

In 2026, ProofSnap is the browser extension for your firm and your clients. Every ZIP carries SHA-256 and RSA-4096, and on every plan except Essential a Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchor: the technical record an authentication challenge has to argue against, sealed before the page can change.

Start the 7-day free trial See what is in the package

Download a sample ZIP · Firm pricing from $18.99 per seat

Chrome and Edge Captures run in your own browser session Hash, signature and timestamp at capture

ProofSnap Chrome extension for attorneys, capture web evidence as sealed ZIP packages with SHA-256, RSA-4096, and Bitcoin OpenTimestamps

ProofSnap is a Chrome and Edge extension that captures web pages, social posts and behind-login dashboards as sealed evidence packages. Every file is SHA-256 hashed, the manifest RSA-4096 signed and, on every plan except Essential, anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain, and a package can include a declaration for the certifying person to sign. As of 2026, firms start at $18.99 per seat per month.

What changes for the firm is what the exhibit brings with it. An uncorroborated screenshot leaves the attorney building the authentication foundation from scratch. A capture sealed with a hash, a signature and an independent timestamp arrives with that foundation already recorded, in a form anyone can recheck.

Built for defamation, IP, employment, family law, NCII, breach of contract and regulatory matters. Minimum 2 seats. The 7-day free trial requires a credit card.

Radim Motycka, founder and lead engineer of ProofSnap · Last updated: October 14, 2026 · Verify any package yourself in the Trust Verifier

For your firm

Partners, associates and paralegals capture during intake and discovery.
Sealed at capture, with a declaration your certifying person completes and signs.
Firm-wide Company Plan at $18.99 per seat per month, minimum 2 seats.

For your clients

The client buys SnapPack for $4.99, captures 10 items and emails you the ZIPs.
Evidence arrives before the retainer is signed or the content is taken down.
The same forensic ZIP structure as firm-captured evidence.

Or we do it for you

You send a link or the files. We send back the sealed package.

This is for the matter where the page has to be preserved today and there is no time to roll out an extension. You send a public URL or the files you already hold, we run the same forensic pipeline and return the sealed, timestamped ZIP plus a separate declaration completed with every technical fact of the capture.

We capture a web page Any public URL, from $44.99 WhatsApp chat export Line-numbered court transcript, $59.99 Telegram chat export Line-numbered court transcript, $59.99 Signal chat export Line-numbered court transcript, $59.99 Messenger chat export Line-numbered court transcript, $59.99 Email thread Headers and attachments certified, $59.99 YouTube video with comments Video, watch page and 902 declaration, from $44.99 Documents, photos, video, audio Files you already have, $59.99 Facebook post Every comment and reply, $44.99

A chat export is the file the app gives you when you tap Export chat. We render it as a line-numbered transcript, hash every file and timestamp the result, so any later edit to the messages is detectable.

Several URLs in one matter: Evidence Pack, up to 5 URLs for $149. Full comparison and FAQ.

Delivered within 48 hours. Same forensic engine as the extension, run by us. eIDAS qualified timestamps issued by Disig a.s., a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted List under Regulation (EU) No 910/2014.

Not sure which one fits? Tell us the situation and we will scope it →

What unauthenticated evidence costs you

Three ways phone screenshots end cases.

Authentication challenges used to be a niche concern. Opposing counsel now knows the playbook. Here is what is on the table when your evidence cannot stand on its own.

Case-dispositive sanction

Rossbach v. Montefiore Med. Ctr., 81 F.4th 124 (2d Cir. 2023): the district court dismissed the plaintiff's remaining claims with prejudice as a sanction, after a defense expert showed that the text-message screenshot could not have come from the iPhone the plaintiff said she used, and it imposed $157,026.27 in fees and costs.

ProofSnap effect: any post-hoc edit breaks the SHA-256 manifest, and on every plan except Essential it no longer matches the hash anchored with OpenTimestamps.

Expert-witness fees you did not budget

When a screenshot's authenticity is challenged, the cure is often a forensic examiner, an unbudgeted cost that grows if device imaging is required. Many contingency-fee cases cannot absorb it mid-litigation.

ProofSnap effect: the ZIP carries the expert's starting foundation. That narrows what the examiner has to reconstruct.

Lost settlement leverage

Evidence that verifies on its own takes a costly fight off the table. The less there is to litigate about the exhibit, the more the case turns on the record itself.

ProofSnap effect: a capture carrying SHA-256, and on every plan except Essential an OpenTimestamps anchor, gives the other side less to attack.

Start the 7-day free trial

The ZIP your firm produces

The evidence package: 11 to 15 files.

Every capture produces the content and the technical record that shows the content has not changed since capture, and it can include a declaration for the certifying person to sign. The hash, signature and blockchain anchor can be checked independently by you or by opposing counsel, the anchor at opentimestamps.org.

screenshot.jpeg Visual capture of the page

capture_video.webm Screen recording of capture

page.html Full HTML content

domtextcontent.txt Extracted DOM text

metadata.json Timestamp, URL, browser, HTTP headers

evidence.pdf Compiled evidence report

provenance_certificate.pdf Content credentials / capture integrity

manifest.json File listing + SHA-256 hashes

manifest.sig RSA-4096 digital signature

manifest.json.ots OpenTimestamps Bitcoin anchor

publickey.pem Public key (verify signature)

forensic_log.json ISO/IEC 27037 capture log

chain_of_custody.json Device + NTP verification

manifest.json.tsr eIDAS qualified RFC 3161 timestamp

rule_902_certification.pdf The declaration, pre-filled, ready to sign

verification/verify.sh Offline check script, plus .ps1 and a guide

Checkable by opposing counsel: the hash and signature offline with standard tools, the blockchain anchor with the open-source ots client, with no ProofSnap service or account required. The file count follows the plan: Essential produces 11 files, Professional 12, Enterprise and Company 15, because the qualified timestamp, its validation data and the remaining options are added on top. A ZIP a client captured with a SnapPack has the same structure as one the firm captured on its own subscription. Rules on authenticating electronic records differ from country to country; the package supplies the underlying technical record whatever the forum, plus a declaration the certifying person completes and signs.

Start 7-day free trial → Download sample ZIP

What lawyers capture

From a social media post to a behind-login dashboard.

Any content that lives on the open web or behind your client's login, preserved as one self-contained, offline-verifiable ZIP.

Defamation & libel

Posts, comments, reviews, and republications, before the poster edits or deletes.

Social media evidence →

IP & copyright

Copied content, infringing listings, counterfeit catalogs, trademark misuse, with HTTP metadata.

DMCA & copyright →

Employment & harassment

Workplace harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination matters.

Workplace harassment →

Family law & custody

Custody-relevant social media, contradicting statements, evidence of cohabitation or income.

Divorce & custody →

NCII & deepfake

Nonconsensual intimate imagery, deepfakes and platform takedowns under the Take It Down Act.

NCII attorney guide →

Breach of contract

Changed terms, pricing pages, SLA disclosures, deleted refund policies, vendor representations.

Changed terms and chargebacks →

Brand protection

Counterfeit listings, impersonation accounts, marketplace fraud, seller identity at the moment of capture.

Brand protection →

Compliance & regulatory

GDPR / DSA evidence packs, FTC complaints, consumer-protection filings, regulatory disclosures.

GDPR evidence →

Behind-login content

Private groups, DMs, marketplace dashboards, admin views, account-state pages, captured from the authenticated session.

How it works →

United States

Self-authenticating web evidence, and the case that changed how screenshots get attacked.

The technical record above is the same in any forum. This section is the US-specific part.

FRE 902(13) and (14): the first covers certified records generated by an electronic process or system, the second covers certified data copied from an electronic device, storage medium or file, authenticated by a process of digital identification, in practice a cryptographic hash. Both took effect on December 1, 2017. ProofSnap can add a prefilled declaration template to a capture; see how to complete the FRE 902 declaration.

The Advisory Committee Note to the 2017 amendment that added the second rule says:

“If the hash values for the original and copy are the same, it is highly improbable that the original and copy are not identical. Thus, identical hash values for the original and copy reliably attest to the fact that they are exact duplicates.”
Advisory Committee Note to Federal Rule of Evidence 902(14), 2017 amendment

Both rules require a written certification from a qualified person, made under penalty of perjury (the federal unsworn-declaration statute). ProofSnap supplies the record that certification points to: the SHA-256 manifest, the RSA-4096 signature, the OpenTimestamps anchor, the ISO/IEC 27037 forensic log and the chain of custody. The package ships that declaration with every technical fact of the capture already filled in, and the declarant's identity, qualifications and signature left blank, because a human declarant has to sign them under penalty of perjury. Our full guide to self-authenticating web evidence covers what the certification must say, the notice requirement both rules inherit, and where self-authentication stops.

Rossbach v. Montefiore Med. Ctr., 81 F.4th 124 (2d Cir. 2023)

What happened. The plaintiff in an employment-discrimination matter produced a screenshot of a text message as core evidence. Based on the defense expert, the district court found that the image did not depict text messages as they would appear on the iPhone the plaintiff said she had used, given its icons, contact information, font size and style, and emoji design. She had traded in one phone, and the passcode she gave for the other did not unlock it.

Result. The district court dismissed the remaining claims with prejudice as a sanction, relying on its inherent power and the federal spoliation rule, and imposed $157,026.27 in attorneys' fees, costs and expenses jointly and severally on the plaintiff, her counsel and his firm. The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal. It vacated the sanctions against the plaintiff's counsel and his firm, holding that the district court had applied the wrong legal standard to counsel. The case ended on the evidence, not on the merits.

Why it matters to you. The defense playbook from Rossbach (demand forensic examination, then find the gap the screenshot cannot explain) now travels well beyond employment cases.

ProofSnap strengthens your authentication foundation. Start the 7-day free trial

EU / cross-border matters

eIDAS qualified timestamps for EU courts.

For matters involving EU-domiciled parties or foreign platforms, and for DSA takedown notices and GDPR actions, ProofSnap optionally seals each ZIP with an eIDAS qualified timestamp from an EU qualified trust service provider.

Legal recognition

Article 41(2) of the eIDAS Regulation gives a qualified timestamp a presumption of the accuracy of the date and time it indicates and of the integrity of the data to which the date and time are bound. The same article separately bars a court from denying legal effect to an electronic timestamp solely because it is in electronic form.

Qualified provider

RFC 3161 timestamps issued by a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted List. The TSA certificate chain, the root certificate and the OCSP and CRL revocation data are bundled in the ZIP, so the stamp can be checked offline later.

Company Plan includes 5 eIDAS qualified timestamps per user per month. Enterprise ($28.99 per month) includes 10 eIDAS qualified timestamps per month, recommended for solo practitioners with EU or regular cross-border work.

Read more about eIDAS for legal evidence →

Firm pricing

Seven days to try it. Keep it when the matter is billable.

A 7-day free trial on every plan. A credit card is required to start, billing begins on day 8, and canceling inside the 7 days costs nothing. Billed as firm overhead, not per capture.

Recommended for firms

Company Plan, firm-wide

$18.99 / seat / month

Minimum 2 seats · $190 per seat per year on annual billing (save 17%).

✓ 7-day free trial · credit card required · cancel by day 7 at no cost

Unlimited captures per seat
Team dashboard + shared audit log
Your firm's logo and details on the evidence PDF (how to set up branding)
5 eIDAS qualified timestamps per user per month (EU presumption of accuracy)
Sealed ZIPs with a ready-to-sign declaration
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchoring on every capture
Email support within 3 business days

Start 7-day free trial →

Questions about the firm-wide plan?

Solo attorney: Enterprise single-seat

$28.99 / month

$280 per year on annual billing (save 20%).

✓ 7-day free trial · credit card required · cancel by day 7 at no cost

Unlimited captures
10 eIDAS qualified timestamps per month
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps + RSA-4096
Email support within 3 business days

Start 7-day free trial →

See full pricing table for Essential ($8.99/mo) and Professional ($16.99/mo) lower tiers, or SnapPack $4.99 for client pre-retainer capture.

Attorney FAQ

Your next intake is one install away

Install the Chrome extension now. Use it on your next intake call.

7-day free trial, credit card required, cancel by day 7 at no cost. The moment your client describes the first post, you text them the install link and they send you a forensic ZIP before they hang up.

Start the 7-day free trial Edge Add-ons version

Cancel by day 7 at no cost · download sample ZIP first · support@getproofsnap.com

Legal disclaimer: This page provides general information for civil-litigation attorneys and is not legal advice. ProofSnap is not a law firm and does not represent clients. Consult a licensed attorney in the relevant jurisdiction before relying on any content. The case summary is abbreviated for context; read the opinion before citing it. Statutes and rules change; verify current text before filing. Admissibility is decided by the court on a case-by-case basis. ProofSnap supports authentication but does not guarantee admission.

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