What's actually inside a Hawk dispute export ZIP

Why structure matters when stakes are high

Insurance adjusters handle dozens of claims a week. Most dashcam footage arrives as a folder of loose MP4 files, sometimes with handwritten notes. Hawk's one-tap export is different because it's built around how adjusters actually work. When you hit 'export for dispute', you get a single ZIP file containing your clips, metadata, and a manifest file that proves every piece of evidence inside hasn't been tampered with.

The manifest is the backbone. It's a SHA-256 hash record for every video clip in the export. SHA-256 is the same cryptography standard used in courtrooms and police evidence systems. When an adjuster opens your ZIP, they can verify that each clip is byte-for-byte identical to what you recorded, untouched since the moment it was captured. No compression tricks, no edited timecodes, no room for doubt.

The anatomy of the ZIP file

Inside the ZIP, you'll find:

Video clips. Each one is named with a timestamp and the incident type you tagged it with (if you used the voice-save feature or manually marked it). The clips are in their original format, with GPS overlay and timestamp burned in if you have that setting enabled in your GDPR profile.

The manifest file. This is a text file listing every clip's filename, file size, creation timestamp, and its unique SHA-256 hash. An adjuster can run that hash against the actual file and confirm it matches perfectly. This is what makes the export court-ready, not just smartphone-ready.

Trip metadata. If you recorded a trip with Shift Mode (Rideshare Pro), the ZIP includes a polyline of your route via MapKit. This shows your exact path during the incident, which is often as important as the footage itself. An adjuster can see you weren't speeding through a school zone or making erratic lane changes; the data proves it.

GPS and timestamp data. Speed overlays, location coordinates, and precise timestamps are embedded in the clips themselves. If your GDPR profile allows it, the manifest also includes a separate GPS log file so the adjuster can cross-reference exact locations and speeds.

Why adjusters prefer this format

A well-structured export saves an adjuster time. Instead of asking you follow-up questions about which clip is which, or whether the footage has been edited, they can open the ZIP and verify everything in under five minutes. The manifest does the talking.

We learned this the hard way. In the first weeks after launch, we received feedback from a small-claims court in Leeds where someone had submitted Hawk footage. The judge commented that the hashes made verification instantaneous. No back-and-forth with video forensics labs. No doubts about chain-of-custody. Just evidence.

That experience changed how we think about the export. It's not just for insurance claims. It works for police reports (via NDSP on iOS), small-claims disputes, and employment matters. The structure is the same because the legal burden is the same: proof that the footage is authentic.

How the biometric lock protects your evidence

Before you even create an export, your clips live in the Evidence Locker with biometric authentication. Face ID or fingerprint. This lock is fail-closed, meaning if something goes wrong, the device defaults to locked, not open. When you decide to export, you're unlocking clips you've explicitly chosen. That decision creates an audit trail in the ZIP itself.

The manifest notes which clips were locked and when they were exported. This matters because it shows the adjuster that you weren't cherry-picking footage. You're sending a deliberate, timestamped selection from a secure container. It reinforces the credibility of what's inside.

A practical moment: what happens when you hit export

You open Hawk. Tap the clips from the incident. Mark them. One button: 'Export for dispute'. Your phone bundles the video files, generates the hashes in real time, creates the manifest, includes the trip map if applicable, and compresses it all into a single ZIP. Most phones finish this in under thirty seconds. You then send that ZIP via email, WhatsApp, or your insurance portal. Done.

The adjuster receives a single file. They extract it. They see the clips, the manifest, the metadata. If they want to verify authenticity, they can. Most of the time, they don't need to; the structure itself is a signal of legitimacy. A driver who exports evidence this way is a driver who documented a real incident, not someone frantically editing together a case.

Beyond insurance: where this matters everywhere

The ZIP format isn't specific to insurance. A delivery driver involved in a minor collision can export the same ZIP to police. A school-run parent with a concerning interaction can save the manifest for legal advice. A rideshare driver with Rideshare Pro can include cabin footage and trip maps, which are critical for passenger disputes.

The structure is always the same because the principle is always the same: the recipient, whether an adjuster, a solicitor, or a court clerk, needs to trust the evidence. Hashes do that. Metadata does that. A well-organised ZIP does that.