No Consistent Approach to Preserving E-mail Records, GAO Says

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A Government Accountability Office report says that federal officials have failed to consistently preserve government e-mail, creating gaps in the public record and making it difficult for citizens to understand what their government is doing. As use of e-mails has increased, agencies have struggled with which e-mails to preserve, which to delete and how to store those saved. GAO said current law allows broad discretion and agency practices vary widely. (7/9/08)