U.S. chief records officer details federal e-mail record-keeping programs
Source: Washington Post
After the Associated Press reported this month that some Obama cabinet officials have used alternative e-mail accounts to conduct federal business in addition to their government addresses, The Post talked with the National Archives and Records Administration about the practice and whats new in the world of electronic record-keeping.
Paul M. Wester Jr. is chief records officer for the archives and the first person to hold the job, which was created in 2011. He issues policy and guidance to federal agencies on which records they must keep and for how long, with an emphasis on electronic records, including the vast trove of e-mail created by federal officials.
Q. The White House has defended the use of secret e-mail accounts as sensible time management, since high-level officials are swamped with unwanted messages. Does the practice make it harder for agencies to find and turn over emails under public records requests and other inquiries?
A. Thats my reading of it. Weve been pretty clear with agencies it is not a good practice to follow, and we dont recommend that they authorize the use of personal e-mail accounts or alias accounts to conduct their business. Theres a higher probability the e-mails wouldnt be documented properly with their broader record-keeping systems.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-chief-records-officer-details-federal-e-mail-record-keeping-programs/2013/06/16/a6995e92-d470-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_singlePage.html
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)emails, yet they want to have their own secret email accounts that are beyond reach of FOIA in perpetuity, presumably.
Which party is in charge now? I can no longer tell.
pmorlan1
(2,096 posts)You got that right. It is hard to tell.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
pmorlan1
(2,096 posts)Yes they were and Democrats were rightfully up in arms over it. I wonder if Dems will start defending this too?
okaawhatever
(9,490 posts)during the bush admin the reporter had to request the info and go back. It wasn't even brought up. Why would you say the things you do? Where's your source?
okaawhatever
(9,490 posts)how many emails some of these people get a day, but I do the same thing. The top five to ten people I work with had one, general public had the other. I had to be able to address certain emails quickly. Okay, well WaPo is working on scandal number 5. I'm sure the results will be the same.