TL;DR:

Imagine you are involved in a legal case and need to find important information stored on your computer or phone. eDiscovery (electronic discovery) is like a digital treasure hunt where lawyers search for electronic evidence such as emails, documents, and messages. This process ensures that all relevant electronic information is found, reviewed, and used in court, just like finding and presenting physical evidence.

Details For the Techies:

eDiscovery, or electronic discovery, refers to the process of identifying, collecting, and producing electronically stored information (ESI) for legal proceedings. This includes litigation, government investigations, and Freedom of Information Act requests. Unlike paper documents, electronic information is intangible, voluminous, and often accompanied by metadata, which can be crucial as evidence. Metadata includes details like the date and time a document was created or modified. The eDiscovery process involves several steps, including data preservation, collection, review, and production, all while adhering to rules of civil procedure and agreed-upon processes to ensure the information’s relevance and privilege. In the United States, eDiscovery is governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) and various state laws, while other jurisdictions have their own regulations. The goal is to prevent spoliation and ensure that electronic evidence is handled properly and can be used effectively in legal cases.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the Wikipedia article on eDiscovery.