Despite concerns, NARA reports social media archiving is not necessary

Contributed by Charles Nguyen (Freitag, 03 September 2010) | Category : Email messaging trends

The National Archiving and Records Association recently reported it does not believe federal agencies need to store social media records. However, to avoid potential complications, the agencies should explicitly state their policy regarding the retention of data from social media websites.

The report found content created on Web 2.0 platforms, such as social media websites, wikis and blogs, is inherently temporary, which precludes it from various email archiving and other document management mandates. Many organizations believe they must store this data, which may ultimately lead to storage bloat and other complications related to limited storage space.

"Since the information posted in Web 2.0 tools is highly visible, agencies fear that removal of the information would be interpreted as avoiding openness and accountability without providing justification for their actions in the eyes of the public," according to the report.

However, there may potentially be confusion related to which communication platforms are included in the recommendations made by NARA.

Other institutions, however, have found that storing social media correspondence can help in legal cases or other issues. Until mandates are clarified, organizations subject to regulation by multiple organizations may want to continue archiving social media.