ARCHIVES 2015

Records professionals operating under different legal and regulatory environments agree that evidence, security, and civil rights all depend on authentic records. But proving authenticity in the digital environment can be difficult, and requirements for authenticity may be unclear. Much research has been conducted on the preservation of authentic records and many recommendations and guidelines have been produced, but despite the wealth of past and current research findings, recommendations, and tools, authenticity is still discussed as an urgent problem to be solved. This presentation presents selected findings from the author’s doctoral research into how records professionals approach the issue of authenticity of digital records for which they are responsible. These findings are the basis for the author’s continuing research into the differences in the juridical frameworks supporting digital recordkeeping in common law and civil law jurisdictions. These differences are evident in the laws and standards that guide records professionals, as well as in the legal problems that arise in the authentication of records.

About the Author:

Corinne Rogers and an adjunct professor (diplomatics, digital records forensics) at the University of British Columbia and Project Coordinator of InterPARES Trust – an international multidisciplinary research project studying issues of trust in digital objects in online environments. She is also a researcher with the Law of Evidence in the Digital Environment Project (Faculty of Law, UBC).