US OPEN RECORDS LAW TRENDING TO SMS/TEXT MESSAGING CAPTURE, RETENTION AND E-DISCOVERY

US State government agencies are leveraging enterprise mobility to quickly engage with public constituents, improve service and reduce operating costs. Open Records law continues to evolve across US State agencies towards regulation requiring State governments to capture and archive all mobile communication in relation to State business as – a matter of public record -regardless if the communication took place on a personal or government-owned device.

CellTrust SL2 is a fully optimized, cloud-based solution for BYOD, CYOD or government-issued devices, to support the enforcement of the compliance requirements for text messaging under the mandate of State Open Records laws.
 

CellTrust SL2 empowers government agencies to capture and archive text messaging on personal devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
 

The SL2 solution also provides a secure collaboration platform for internal communication among government employees. Agencies may utilize existing landline phone numbers for text messaging or assign new phone numbers to protect the privacy of their officers and employees.
 

Optionally, agencies may elect to dedicate specific phone numbers to enable the public to chat with a group of government officials while all communication is accurately captured for retention. 
 

Perhaps one of the most closely watched developments in Open Records law updates was in the State of Texas. Texas Senate Bill 944 (SB 944) amends the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) or Open Records Act. SB 944 clarifies that public information contained on private devices, including communication conducted by text messages (SMS), is subject to the PIA, and introduces the new concept of a “temporary custodian” as any current or former officer or employee who retains a governmental record on a personal device. A temporary custodian is responsible for the public information within their possession.
 
Learn more about CellTrust SL2 for mobile compliance enforcement.

Learn more about CellTrust SL2 for mobile voice call capture and archiving.