

Ask HN: Is this a feasible business idea? - webgambit

A couple weeks ago I had an idea for a new service, but I'm not sure it's something others would find useful or if it would be accepted as an authority.<p>Basically, what I'm thinking is a service where people could do things like store notes, pictures, recordings, etc. and each item would be stored in such a way so that it could not be later altered (was thinking MySQL archive tables).<p>For example, the idea came to mind when my wife moved out a few weeks ago. Every time we have a conversation I feel like I need to document it, e.g. "Just spoke with X and stated that abc" and have that stored on a server of a non-biased company somewhere so that if the situation gets to the point of legal counsel being brought in I could put together a sort of log or journal of what's been said and when.<p>If this was something that could be useful, I could build out mobile apps that could take recordings and submit those or even automatically forward text messages from selected individuals. I would, of course, want something like triple redundancy on the databases to ensure nothing is lost.<p>But, like I said earlier, I'm not sure such a service would be helpful to others or if lawyers/courts would even consider the information worthwhile or admissible.<p>What say ye, all wise HN community? :)
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adyus
If such a thing existed, it would have helped this guy:
<http://huff.to/kKIGDa>

The important part is in the grey box. The guy went to a notary public and
legalized a statement that he could later use in court.

You could take your idea further and actually charge users to have their
submission automatically notarized, after they prove their real life identity,
of course (there's already a startup that offers to certify users' identities,
anyone remember the name?).

~~~
webgambit
You're right, it's situations like that which brought up this idea. Some way
to reliably document a statement or idea and the date just seems like a useful
service.

The notarization would be a bit difficult since each state has their own rules
and laws. Additionally, I think they all have a residency requirements, at
least the two states I've been a notary in did.

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tmachinecharmer
You can use

\- private tumblr blog

\- catch.com

\- evernote

\- google docs

\- emacs org-mode + dropbox

etc.

If you record everything on audio tape or talk only using phone and record it.
Or you use gtalk only then legal bodies might take it seriously. But no one is
going to take notes written by you seriously.

Is it legal to record phone conversation without other persons consent? I
don't k now.

~~~
webgambit
But can't the time and dates can be changed those.

As for recording phone calls, the laws vary from state to state. The states I
have experience with only require one person on the conversation to be aware
that it's being recorded.

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bartonfink
I know my parents would have paid quite a bit for something like that when
they were still raising kids. They talked about it every time there was a
disagreement about who said what.

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blazzar
The key part is allowing both parties to sign the content as accurate and then
lock it down. Without both parties signing I suspect it would carry little
weight legally.

~~~
webgambit
That's an interesting idea that I hadn't considered. Thanks.

