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Litigation Companies Complied to Store Online Information

Under a new law approved in April by the Supreme court, all companies in the United States that are involved in federal litigation are now obligated to keep track of all their online communication, namely emails, instant messaging information, etc. As part of the discovery process, the companies are obligated providing "electronically stored information" when evidence is shared. Experts on technology and litigation say that the new law means that an employee who copies over a backup computer might find himself accused of "virtual shredding" of vital information.

It`s known that most office workers use some of their work-time to surf the net and conduct personal business. With all information tracked and stored, the new law might seriously impact the work habits of many office employees. Email communication is one of the main communication channels in any modern office, and with emails being tracked, things will surly change in many places. The cost of managing the information and storing everything will also make it hard for companies to comply, and most of the burden will fall on email companies that will have to come up with ways of storing not-so-easy to access information.

For instance, digital photos sent by employees or information stored on mobile devices, are hard to track. Although this might seem intrusive, the process is aimed at providing concrete digital evidence when needed. This does not mean that private information is tracked, but only the information of curtain clients that those companies are dealing with.