[4] The goal of these groups is to open lines of communication between law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories around the world while providing guidance on the use of new and innovative technologies and techniques.
[7] The first meeting of SWGDE was held in July 1998 and the group defined digital evidence as "any information of probative value that is stored or transmitted in a binary form."
[9] Today, the discipline is referred to as Digital and Multimedia Evidence and comprises the sub-disciplines of computer forensics, audio, video and imaging.
[10] The SWGDE membership presently consists of approximately seventy (maximum 100) forensic examiners, scientists, and managers from more than two dozen federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as representatives from the academic, private, and research communities.
SWGDE documents seek to provide a framework for agencies to insert their own criteria and describe what should be included in a protocol, while not requiring a particular format or content.
[15][16] SWGDE documents are freely available to the community-at-large, with the goal that agencies wishing to create or improve digital evidence programs will thoughtfully examine and consider their guidance.
[17] In addition to releasing documents, SWGDE members disseminate best practices for law enforcement professionals where digital and multimedia evidence is concerned.