>If the Feds work anywhere like State gov. does, you're expected to archive your email to your harddrive - and the emails are purged off the central server to reclaim space - and you are expected to purge anything older than 2 years so that open records requests don't bite you on the butt. So, while it does seem rather convenient, it is feasible that the only copy left was on the harddrive that crashed.
>

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2013/2013-03.html

Corporate, state, and federal requirements crack me up. First, it is absolutely forbidden to store on your local hard drive - not even on government computers.

From experience in all three, you have the requirements to store and protect (see link plus each agency has their requirement that can add to but not take away from) and then you have the IT department screaming to make space and managers enforcing the periodic disposal of records, and then you have the greenies yelling to save the environment and not print anything on paper unless absolutely required, and then you have the age old: "none of that relieves you of the requirement to maintain records as required by law and regulation."

There is a disposal requirement as well as a safe-keeping requirement. The rules change depending on the type of record. You can never please everyone, but I do know that the IRS would NOT accept the same excuse from anyone in an audit.

Don't miss this little snippet:

Finally, they must notify employees that there are criminal penalties for the unlawful removal or destruction of Federal records (18 U.S.C. 2071 and 36 CFR 1230.12)

Let's see those criminal penalties please...