Agreement to these terms
First Notification Limited is the legal entity operating the Digital Forensics brand, website, professional services and app. In these terms, “Digital Forensics”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to First Notification Limited unless the context requires otherwise. By using this website or the Digital Forensics app, you agree to these terms. If you instruct us to provide professional services, the engagement is also subject to any quotation, scope, letter of instruction or other terms agreed for that matter.
Website information
The website provides general information about digital forensics, our services, the app and incident-response guidance. It is not legal advice, financial advice, emergency advice or a forensic opinion on a particular matter.
We aim to keep information useful and current but do not guarantee that every page is complete, error-free or suitable for a particular purpose. Digital evidence is fact-sensitive and actions that are appropriate in one incident may be inappropriate in another.
The website uses necessary technologies and, where you consent, Google Analytics. Our use of cookies and similar technologies is explained in the Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
Professional forensic services
No client relationship or obligation to perform work arises merely because you visit the website, download a help sheet, use the app, send an enquiry or leave a telephone message. A professional instruction begins only when we confirm acceptance of the matter or otherwise agree in writing to act.
Scope, methodology, deliverables, timescales and fees may depend on the evidence available, technical limitations, third-party systems, legal constraints and information supplied by the client. Findings are based on the material examined and may change if further reliable evidence becomes available.
Client instructions and lawful authority
You must provide accurate instructions and tell us about relevant deadlines, court orders, litigation holds, preservation obligations and known technical constraints. You are responsible for ensuring that you have lawful authority to supply devices, accounts, credentials, files or other material and to instruct the requested examination.
We may decline, pause or limit work where authority is unclear, the requested activity may be unlawful or unethical, the evidence presents an unacceptable security risk, a conflict exists, fees remain unpaid, or the proposed work is outside our competence or agreed scope.
Evidence, devices and chain of custody
Digital evidence can be altered by ordinary use. Clients should follow preservation instructions and avoid unnecessary access, deletion, resetting, updating or other changes before examination. We are not responsible for changes made before material reaches us or outside our control.
Where physical items or forensic copies are received, handling arrangements, return, storage and disposal will follow the agreed instruction, applicable legal obligations and reasonable forensic practice. We may create working copies, hashes, extraction files or other derivative material where necessary to perform the agreed work.
Professional fees, quotations and payment
Professional-service fees are agreed separately. A quotation or estimate is based on the information available when issued and may change if the scope, evidence volume, urgency, complexity or client requirements change. We will normally seek approval before material additional work is undertaken unless the engagement provides otherwise.
Invoices, retainers, cancellation charges, disbursements and payment terms are governed by the applicable quotation or engagement terms. We may suspend work or withhold non-mandatory deliverables where undisputed sums are overdue, subject to any overriding legal or court obligation.
Digital Forensics app licence
The app is licensed, not sold. Subject to these terms and Apple's applicable rules, you receive a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable right to install and use the app on supported Apple devices you control for lawful purposes.
The app provides case-organisation, evidence-recording, custody, reporting, CDR-analysis and forensic-utility features. It does not certify evidence, guarantee admissibility, replace professional forensic procedures or determine whether a user's legal obligations have been met.
App Store subscriptions and billing
Digital Forensics Pro is offered as an auto-renewable subscription through Apple's App Store. The current advertised price is £4.99 per month in the UK storefront, subject to any App Store price changes, taxes, currency differences or regional pricing displayed by Apple at the time of purchase.
Payment is charged to the Apple ID used for purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled in accordance with Apple's subscription-management process. Cancellation stops future renewal but does not normally reverse a period already purchased. Billing, refunds, payment methods and App Store account management are handled by Apple under its terms.
If a free trial or promotional offer is made available, its duration and conversion terms will be displayed by Apple before purchase and will govern that offer.
Your responsibilities when using the app
You are responsible for the accuracy of information entered into the app, the security of the device, backups and exports, and the lawful handling of any personal, confidential or evidential information you record. You should independently verify hashes, reports, calculations and analytical outputs where they are material to litigation, criminal proceedings, regulatory action or other high-stakes decisions.
You must not rely on the app as the sole preservation mechanism for irreplaceable evidence. Device failure, deletion, operating-system changes, storage pressure or other circumstances can cause data loss.
Acceptable use
You must not use the website, downloads, app or our services to gain unauthorised access, unlawfully monitor another person, interfere with systems, conceal criminal activity, infringe privacy or intellectual-property rights, distribute malware, fabricate evidence, misrepresent findings or carry out any unlawful activity.
You must not reverse engineer, decompile, circumvent licensing controls, resell access, copy substantial parts of the app or website, or use our branding in a way that suggests endorsement or affiliation without written permission, except where applicable law expressly permits otherwise.
Intellectual property
The website design, text, graphics, branding, downloadable help sheets, software, app interface and other original materials are owned by or licensed to Digital Forensics and are protected by intellectual-property law. You may download and print incident help sheets for reasonable internal, personal or client-support use, but may not sell, rebrand or commercially redistribute them without permission.
Ownership and permitted use of client-specific reports or deliverables will be governed by the applicable engagement terms.
Third-party services and links
The website and app may link to or depend on third-party platforms, operating systems, file formats, network services or external resources. We do not control those services and are not responsible for their availability, content, privacy practices, security, pricing or changes.
Apple is responsible for the App Store distribution and billing environment. References to third-party products do not imply endorsement unless explicitly stated.
Disclaimers and technical limitations
Digital forensic examination cannot guarantee recovery of deleted material, attribution of activity to a particular person, completeness of third-party logs, access to encrypted information, or a particular legal or commercial outcome. Devices and services change frequently and some functions may be unavailable because of encryption, damage, permissions, platform restrictions, data retention, network conditions or third-party changes.
Except where expressly agreed in writing, the website, free resources and app are provided on an "as available" basis. Nothing in these terms excludes obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Liability
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation. Any additional limits applying to professional forensic services will be set out in the relevant engagement terms.
To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for losses arising solely from reliance on general website guidance, misuse of the app, unauthorised instructions, client failure to preserve evidence, loss caused by third-party platforms, or indirect or consequential losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the relevant obligation arose.
Suspension, refusal and termination
We may restrict access to website features or cease providing an app version where reasonably necessary for security, maintenance, legal compliance or product changes. Professional engagements may be terminated or suspended in accordance with their specific terms, applicable law and professional obligations.
Governing law and jurisdiction
Unless a separate written engagement states otherwise, these general terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory consumer rights or other jurisdictional rules that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms when our services, app, pricing model, technology or legal obligations change. The version published on this page applies from the stated revision date. Material changes affecting an existing professional engagement will be dealt with under the applicable engagement terms.
Contact
Questions about these terms or a proposed instruction should be emailed to info@digital-forensics.co.uk. Written contact is preferred for new instructions so that scope, facts and deadlines can be recorded accurately.