Quantum digital forensic science: A new pathway for new-age Indian judicial system

21st century being well known for India’s strong, scalable and sustainable digital era. India’s digital growth showcases the strength of its frugal innovation, investments, technology, infrastructure and integration of 5th / 6th Industrial Revolution technologies for emerging potential applications. India - A nation pioneering for developing holistic, talented manpower through skill India digital hub is a testament for its success pathway. Digital technologies are rapidly growing in India, which could be Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and its allied enabling technologies like cybersecurity, AI, 5G and most importantly, quantum computing, being a game changer for innovation and thereby push and boost our nation beyond the indispensable boundaries. Quantum computers, which adapt the principles of quantum mechanics supersede the classical approach of computing.

India is spearheading in its digital technologies which has wide range of potential application being healthcare, smart farming, smart home automation, industrial automation and currently digital forensic which provides handholding support for India’s digital judicial systems. Digital forensic is emerging in India with leaps and bounds due to its rapid awareness and adoption by wide researchers, scholars, scientists and industry practioners.

Digital forensic is a branch of STEALM - Science, Technology, Engineering & Entrepreneurship, Arts, Mathematics and a special emphasis on Law. Digital forensic clearly identifies, collect, preserve, analyse, interpret and carefully store and present the evidence and reports digitally that facilitate the integrity and sanctity of the forensic domain.

Quantum Era for India’s Judicial systems

The launch of National Quantum Mission paves the way for new approaches and open new avenues in the field of forensic science in India.

Quantum Physics + Law = Quantum Digital Forensic Science

Quantum physics is going to revolutionize the India’s judicial systems. Digital technologies for the forensic like Internet of Things (IoT) and especially Quantum Computing can act as boosters and provide a new framework for the end users especially for the crime investigators.

The traditional cryptographic forensic methods deployed in Indian judicial systems are hash functions, digital signatures and encryptions. Digital forensic coupled with Quantum mechanics and digital computing called as Digital Quantum Forensic can form a resilience, robust and rugged digital evidence which leads to high level of confidentiality, authenticity and clear integrity to the India’s digital evidence systems. Quantum entanglement and superposition principles give a new dimension to the Digital Quantum Forensic Science.

Indian judicial systems are being utilized by the traditional encryption securities as digital evidence which are vulnerable to presently emerging 5th / 6th industrial revolution technologies like super power quantum computing. The basic foundational pillars and conventional encryption securities like RSA, AES, and SHA-256 are completely driven by complex computational approaches. These securities are traditionally used in Digital Forensic science which enables digital custody, admissible for proceedings in judicial systems.

RSA is vulnerable and can be easily broken by today’s Quantum computers. Meanwhile, AES and SHA-256, although they are strong but quantum algorithms can reduce their safety and securities. On the whole, these securities can be easily compromised by present quantum era. The best approach is to deploy the prominent quantum cryptography technologies such as QKS and QDS, which provides a rugged, robust, more resilient and digital security for the digital forensic science.

Quantum forensic science showcases high-security, tamper-proof, legally accepted, more powerful digital evidence and can be widely accepted by our Indian judicial law enforcement.

Quantum Digital Forensics adapts the smart quantum workflow like:

• Acquisition of digital evidence,
• Digital integrity (quantum hashing),
• Authenticity through QDS,
• Maintaining the confidentiality through QKD and Finally ends with
• Verification, validation and presenting the data to the judicial systems

India’s deep-tech startup ecosystems like QNu Labs, Taqbit are pioneers in developing the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) for real-time potential applications.

These startups are envisioned to develop Quantum Digital Public Infrastructure that can be deployed in India for various digital applications.

Quantum Forensic Science - A Viksit Pathway for Uttar Pradesh

Quantum Computing started giving a new outlook and shape for the state of Uttar Pradesh. Government of Uttar Pradesh is spearheading in capitalizing the potential of Quantum computing to apply for the digital forensic science. The state of Uttar Pradesh is marching towards Viksit Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in building Quantum Digital Forensic Public Infrastructure and thereby successfully implementing the quantum physics and advanced computational techniques for the judicial systems through the launch of Quantum Forensic Science. Quantum Forensic Science are expected to be adapted as best practices for Indian judicial systems. State of Uttar Pradesh has a strong digital infrastructure which can build its own Quantum Forensic Data centre that can acts as Quantum Digital Forensic Hub to serve for the whole nation.

Uttar Pradesh State of Forensic Science at Lucknow is enroute to build its First of-its kind -

Quantum Digital Forensic Public Infrastructure that would cater to the need of India’s judicial systems. State of Uttar Pradesh, through Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, will be developing unique of its kind talent pool of Quantum Digital Forensic students who can play a vital role in India's judicial systems and set an example for the whole nation and worldwide.

The author is the head of the institute-industry interface program at Hindustan College of Science and Technology, Mathura; Views presented are personal.