How to record digital evidence

If you are the target of online bullying, abuse, harassment or criminal behaviour, it's essential to capture digital evidence of what’s been going on. Although deleting the content may seem like a quick solution, contacting Netsafe or a law enforcement agency for advice first is often a wiser approach. Here's our guide on how to record digital evidence effectively.

Last Updated30/07/2024

How to collect digital evidence effectively

Do not screenshot or store content you believe is “objectionable”. It's illegal in NZ to store, send or share objectionable content.

Instead contact Netsafe or the Department of Internal affairs immediately for advice on what to do next.

Each page on the internet has a unique URL that allows it to be discovered on the internet. This is the address that you see at the top of the webpage you are on. It often starts with the letters http or https.

You need to write down or copy the entire address.

Make sure you get the full address, even if it looks like a random jumble of letters and numbers. Lets say for example you are using a website called “funnysocialmediasite.com” and you find something upsetting at a page with this address:

https://www.funnysocialmediasite.com/post/users/id=?23456thuopif&user=fgtyukl

It is not enough to record that the page was at “www.funnysocialmediasite.com” you must record the entire address. Right down to the end (…fgtyukl).

When you receive a harmful email, both the content and headers are important for evidence.

You should copy the contents of the message first and store it in a file with the date and time it was received.

You should then capture the email “headers” from the message, which contain important information about its origin and destination. Headers can be shown in different ways depending on how you access your emails.

Here are some instructions produced by Google on how to capture the headers for different email systems.

If yours in not shown below, or you have any questions about this, contact Netsafe for more advice.

Screenshots can be invaluable, especially if the content is later removed. If it's deleted from the web then the URL you've recorded won't show the content.

You should take screenshots of the harmful content as digital evidence.

The following links provide detailed instructions on how to take a screenshot using the following devices:

To access our help, you should not send or share with Netsafe, or anyone else, content that is “objectionable” such as:

Intimate or sexualised content involving a young person under the age of 18
Explicit content
Acts of torture or the infliction of extreme violence or extreme cruelty
The use of violence or coercion to compel any person to participate in, or submit to, sexual conduct
Any other content defined as objectionable under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act

What can you send to Netsafe?

There are certain types of information that you can share with Netsafe that will help us with handling your report:

URLs/links to where the content is hosted if it is online
Usernames or other identifying information about who may have requested or shared this material
Provide screenshots of any text-based message that may accompany the intimate images e.g. a message from someone requesting an image, or a comment on an image that has been posted online.

Do not screenshot or share screenshots if any of the intimate content can be seen.

How to edit images before sending to Netsafe

If you need to send content to us, "blank out" objectionable content before sending it.

Black out sensitive images on a computer using MS paint
Scribble over images with a photo editing app
Crop images on a photo editing app

How to "blank out" objectionable content before sending it to Netsafe

Using Microsoft Paint on a Windows computer

Open MS Paint and load the image you wish to black out.
Select the “rectangular selection” tool and use it to create a box around the area you want to black out.
Click on the “fill with colour” tool and select the black colour.
Click inside the selection box to fill it with black colour.
Save the edited image by going to “File” and selecting “Save as” and choose the file format you want.

Using a photo editing app on your phone to ‘scribble out’ an image

Open your preferred photo editing app and load the image you want to scribble out.
Select the “Brush” tool and choose a brush size that suits the area you want to cover.
Choose the colour you want to use for the scribble out effect. Typically, people use red or black.
Once you have your brush size and colour selected, start scribbling over the area you want to cover. Use short, quick strokes to ensure that the effect is uniform throughout.
Save the edited image by going to “File” and selecting “Save as” and choose the file format you want. That’s it! Your image is now scribbled out in the selected area.

Using a photo editing app on your phone to crop an image

Start by opening the app and loading the image you want to crop.
Select the “Crop” tool from the toolbar, and then click and drag the edges of the crop box to adjust the size and shape of the crop. You can also use the corner handles to maintain the aspect ratio while resizing.
Once you are happy with the crop, click the “Apply” or “OK” button to finalize the changes.
Save the edited image by going to “File” and selecting “Save as” and choose the file format you want.

Capture how the content made you feel

Alongside capturing digital evidence, record how the content and experience affected you emotionally. This can be crucial for both legal and support purposes.