Email represents not the system, but the information communicated through the system. Email messages are public records when they are created or received in the transaction of public business. They must be retained as evidence of official policies, actions, decisions or transactions. Email messages are considered public record material with legally mandated retention requirements, and are subject to the same rules and regulations as those which govern the management of paper records. Email is managed by its content, not its format.
Email is meant for informal correspondence and scholarly communications.
It should not be used for official record-keeping purposes. The University of Washington does not have central processes or resources to manage email in a way that meets specific Washington State Code regulating the management of public records. Backup of folders may not exist or folders may only be kept for a very short duration, so inadvertent deletion of messages can result in loss of information. Confidential and sensitive information should not be sent via email. The privacy and integrity of an email message cannot be guaranteed.