Delete all unnecessary files that contain personal information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have received a preservation notice (litigation hold letter) from the Office of the General Counsel, contact the Office of the General Counsel before making any changes.
NOTE: If your computer stores a significant amount of email and documents stored longer than a year, you may be able to greatly expedite the Personal Information Sweep procedure by completing Steps 2 and 3.
Is the file necessary?
The University is required by statute to retain certain “records.” Records of the type named in the common retention schedules (pdf) or your own departmental retention schedules may NOT be kept longer than the specified retention periods, unless they relate to pending or current litigation, or are necessary for an audit. Records Management & Archives can tell you whether your department has its own retention schedules.
Email and other electronic records may be records. You should treat email messages the same way you treat paper correspondence.
Consult the flow chart for assistance in determining whether to keep a file.
If you are still uncertain whether to keep a file related to UA academic or business operations, please consult a supervisor, advisor or Records Management & Archives.
If a previous computer user left the file and you don't know where it originated:
- If the machine was provided by the University for academic or business operations, consult a supervisor or advisor.
- If the supervisor or advisor does not believe the file was part of UA academic or business operations AND you share your computer with family, friends or co-workers, consult the people with whom you share the computer.
- If you still do not know where the file originated, delete the file.
Refer to the Records Management & Archives website for more information on the policy or to find contact information.
Delete it if it's not needed.
Be sure to delete the unnecessary file, then empty the computer trash folder or recycle bin.
When deleting files, DO NOT delete system files. If you have a question about whether a file is a system file, please contact your local IT staff or the UITS Help Desk (621-HELP).
When you move a file into your computer's trash folder or recycle bin and empty it, the information is not actually removed from the computer's hard disk until another program writes new information to the space where the "recycled" file's information resides. Consider using a secure file deletion utility to erase the files from your computer’s hard drive immediately. See the File Deletion Guideline. Be careful when using a file deletion utility because the files cannot be recovered once deleted.
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Step 3 – Secure personal information
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