Published: July 13, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Although the general public may not realize it, records management is at the center of one of the most contentious scandals of the 2016 presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account to conduct official State department business has garnered untold media coverage, an FBI investigation, and rumors of a grand jury trial.

The reality of Bring-Your-Own-Device (and, in this case, Bring-Your-Own-Account) is that records created, accessed, and stored on devices that are not a part of a secured or approved network are at greater risk for being lost, compromised, or corrupted. While it is not the scope of this post to comment on the legality of Clinton’s actions, this incident and other publicized records scandals are excellent opportunities for records managers to examine their organizational policies and to create a platform for a conversation about emerging issues.