When providing access to or destroying electronic records containing confidential or exempt information, agencies must take steps to prevent unauthorized access to or use of the exempt information. Retention Requirements for Electronic Records There is no single retention period that applies to all of any agency’s electronic records, or all electronic records in a particular format such as e-mail. Retention periods are determined by the content, nature, and purpose of records, and are set based on their legal, fiscal, administrative, and historical values, regardless of the format in which they reside
