Faraday Devices

When I was at Legal Tech in New York this year I saw a demonstration of a Faraday bag. This is a device that is designed to shield a cell phone or laptop from RF and other electronic signals. The material of the device distributes electronic fields on its surface, but does not allow it to reach the interior. This can prevent remote wiping, location tracking, and surreptitious accessing of data. It has been argued that the availability of Faraday devices to law enforcement agencies should prevent the police from having an excuse to search cell phones incident to lawful arrests because of the possiblity of evidence being destroyed. There are Faraday pouches designed specifically for cell phones and laptops; Faraday boxes for multiple items; and Faraday cages or rooms used for certain computer forensic procedures. It is also possible to create a makeshift Faraday device with several layers of aluminum foil. The next time you work with an attorney who is particulary anxious about keeping her work product secure on her laptop, or securing the ESI of an important client, suggest one of these neat secret agent style devices.