CIO'S MESSAGE - May 11, 2017

Important Information about Public Records, Email, and Text Messages

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) would like to make you aware of important information regarding the use of email and text messaging when conducting campus business. 

A recent ruling by the California Supreme Court on March 2, 2017, has clarified the definition of public records. Please be advised that any email record or text message sent to conduct University business using either campus or personal email accounts are in scope as public records. This means that upon a public records request, email messages contained in personal email accounts or text messages on personal phones, are subject to disclosure if they were used to conduct University business. 

It is important to note that deleted campus email messages are automatically emptied from an email account’s trash bin/deleted items folder 25 days after deletion. Email users may also manually purge individual deleted email messages or all deleted email by emptying their trash bin/deleted items folder at any time. Effective June 1, 2017, email messages automatically or manually deleted from an email account’s trash bin/deleted items may be recovered only within 5 days of deletion from the trash bin/deleted items folder. 

It is highly recommended that we follow email best practices, such as avoiding the use of personal email accounts or personal computer devices to transmit work related messages. It is also wise to avoid using campus email accounts for personal business and to periodically review and delete any unnecessary email messages, including those in your "sent" folder. 

The Campus Guidelines for Using Email, Calendars and Texting is available for your reference.

Min Yao, Ph.D.
Vice President and Chief Information Officer