DC mayor dumps proposed e-mail policy.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis - Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty decided to delete his controversial e-mail retention policy that was set to begin in January due to a flood of criticism from the public and city council.

The proposed e-mail policy, first introduced in September 2007, has been shelved for now, and Fenty said he is open to public discussion, according to a Computerworld report.

The policy was widely derided because it called for the automatic and permanent deletion of all e-mail stored on the district's government e-mail servers after only six months. The plan allowed weekly full backups of all e-mails to be transferred to tape, but those tapes would be wiped clean and recycled back into use after eight months, according to the mayor's office.

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Fenty's policy did include two exceptions. Litigation request holds by the Office of Risk Management, Office of Attorney General, and independent counsel would have been allowed to preserve specified e-mails in connection with claims by or against the district for up to three years. Also, the mayor's counsel could waive the six-month e-mail retention guideline for any agency that "demonstrates a compelling business or legal need," according to a memo from the mayor's office.

The memo also stated that the district's government e-mail system, which serves about 35,000 users, was built to offer communication...