Detailed Explanation of Rules and Practical Points for Presenting Electronic Evidence in Civil Litigation
In civil litigation, electronic evidence has become a critical type of evidence, covering emails, WeChat chat records, electronic contracts, and more. According to the Civil Procedure Law and its judicial interpretations, electronic evidence must satisfy three key rules: authenticity, legality, and relevance. Authenticity requires examining whether the generation, storage, and transmission process of electronic data is complete and free from tampering. In practice, parties should submit the original medium (such as a mobile phone or computer) and ensure the data has not been deleted or altered. Legality emphasizes that the method of obtaining evidence must not violate legal prohibitions—for example, chat records obtained without consent may be excluded. Relevance requires that the electronic evidence be directly related to the facts of the case, such as an electronic signature in a contract dispute corresponding to the signing party. 
## Rules for Presenting Electronic Evidence and the Submission Process
In terms of evidence submission rules, electronic evidence must be submitted in printed or disc form, along with a source explanation. Courts typically require original data; for example, WeChat records must show the complete conversation interface, including timestamps and sender information. In practice, parties should notarize electronic data in advance to prevent challenges to authenticity. For electronic contracts stored in the cloud, signature validity must be verified through a third-party platform. Additionally, the submission deadline for electronic evidence must comply with the evidence submission period; late submissions may not be accepted. 
## Key Practical Points and Risk Prevention
Key practical points include: first, promptly preserve electronic evidence using screenshots or screen recording tools, and back it up to the cloud; second, when applying for the court to obtain electronic data, specify the server location and custodian; third, in response to challenges from the opposing party, apply for judicial appraisal to verify integrity. For risk prevention, note that electronic evidence is easily deleted, so it is recommended to preserve it early in litigation. At the same time, avoid using illegal software to obtain data, as this may lead to adverse consequences. In summary, mastering the rules for presenting electronic evidence can significantly improve litigation success rates.
