Viewing shared Evidence as a Client

Evidence is the heart of any investigation, and on NearbySpy it is also the most carefully controlled part of your Case. This article explains what you will see in the Evidence area as a Client, what the platform guarantees about the integrity of those files, and how to ask for more.

What appears here

The Evidence area shows the files your Investigator has explicitly shared with you. These can include:

• Photos and short video clips from the field.
• Documents — PDFs, reports, and scanned records.
• Audio recordings of interviews or calls.
• Cloud-storage references the Investigator added (links to Dropbox or Google Drive items).

You will not see Evidence the Investigator marked as private, items belonging to Operations that are not visible to you, or anything from Cases you are not a member of. If a tab looks empty or absent, see Why Evidence or Reports tabs are missing.

How the gallery is organized

Evidence is presented as a flat gallery — one card per file. Each card shows a thumbnail or file-type icon, the filename, the date it was added, and the name of the person who uploaded it. There are no folders. Photos and videos open in a preview lightbox; documents and audio download for you to open in your usual application.

Integrity guarantees

Every Evidence file uploaded to NearbySpy is fingerprinted with a SHA-256 hash before it leaves the uploader's device. The hash is verified again on the server. Two consequences for you:

• Once Evidence is uploaded, it cannot be edited in place. If a file looks wrong, the Investigator must upload a new version — the original stays on record.
• Anyone disputing a file later can compare its hash to the original to confirm it has not been altered. This is the same chain-of-custody approach courts expect for digital evidence.

You do not have to do anything to benefit from this — it is the default behavior of the platform. For more depth on the upload and integrity model, see How Evidence upload and integrity (hashing) work and Why Evidence is immutable and how archive/restore works.

Downloading and forwarding

You can download any file the Investigator shared with you. Once downloaded, the file is yours to use within the boundaries of the engagement and any agreement you have signed. Be thoughtful about forwarding — many investigations carry confidentiality terms that restrict what you can do with material outside your direct decisions about the Case. If you are unsure, ask your Investigator before sharing externally.

Asking for more

If you expected a file to be in the gallery and it is not, the most direct path is to ask. Use the Case messaging thread; your Investigator will tell you whether the file exists yet, whether it is being held back for tactical reasons, or whether it will be released later as part of a Report. See Messaging your Investigator.

What you cannot do

• Upload Evidence yourself. The Evidence area is read-only for Clients. If your Investigator needs files from you (a photo of a document, a screenshot of a message), they will tell you the right place to send them — usually messaging or DocuVault.
• Delete or modify Evidence. Even if you downloaded a copy, the original on NearbySpy stays as the system of record.
• See who else can view the same file. Visibility settings live on the Investigator side.

For other parts of your Case view, continue with Viewing shared Reports as a Client and Using the Documents area.