Vere Software Awarded National Institute of Justice Grant for Software Research

The National Institute of Justice has awarded funding under its Electronic Crime and Digital Evidence Recovery grant to Vere Software, makers of tools for Internet evidence collection. The funding is for the development of forensic and investigative tools and techniques to investigate criminal use of Internet anonymizers…Internet anonymizers enable users to protect their identity while online, giving them confidence that their personal information and computer are not compromised. However, criminals also use this technology to commit and facilitate crimes while masking their identities from law enforcement. Currently, state and local law enforcement have no forensic tools or investigative technologies to investigate crimes committed through the use of Internet anonymizers.

“For three years, we have developed software and training that supports law enforcement and private-sector investigators as they collect evidence and other information stored online,” said Todd Shipley, Vere Software president and CEO. “We are looking forward to creating yet another innovative approach to addressing criminal activity in online spaces, especially where none existed.”

Vere Software will be working in conjunction with researchers at the University of Nevada's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Investigators from the Washoe County Sheriff's Department will test the software and offer their feedback.

The NIJ’s Electronic Crime and Digital Evidence Recovery program furthers the Justice Department’s mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the state and local levels.

ABOUT VERE SOFTWARE: Incorporated in February 2007, Vere Software, Inc. designs, develops, programs, and markets software and hardware built upon concepts related to online evidence collection and preservation. Offered to both public and private markets domestically and internationally, Vere Software’s WebCase and related products meet the standard for criminal legal defensibility by logging, date and time stamping collected Internet evidence, then authenticating it via one of a number of accepted hash algorithms.