data retention
Storing information long-term
Data retention is the practice of keeping information for a specified period, particularly by organizations storing user data, communications records, or business documents.
The term often appears in legal and regulatory contexts, where laws mandate how long companies must preserve certain records: The company's data retention policy requires deleting customer emails after seven years.
Data retention debates frequently pit privacy advocates against law enforcement interests.
- FOIA requestsDemands for government documents
- regulationsEnforced rules and standards
- storageSpace for keeping goods
- cold storageRefrigerated preservation space
- tapeAdhesive strip on roll
audit trails · paper trail · erasure · file · statutory requirements · purge · GDPR · disposition · metadata · backup solutions · archive · access controls · expiration · database management · standards · policy · audit · encryption
data retentiondata destruction