However, chat messages could be subject to retention if they contain substantive decisions or approvals.Įven though chats are generally not subject to retention, they are still considered public records subject to disclosure under Oregon’s Public Records Law. Why are chats only retained for 180 days?Īccording to the University Records Management Policy, chats, like text messages and other temporary records that result from communication technologies, are considered “Records Not Subject to Retention,” which means they can be deleted immediately or when they are no longer useful. See Creating and Keeping Records for more information. Records subject to retention should be stored in more durable locations such as OneDrive or departmental file storage. If I have a record in a chat that needs to be retained, where should I move it?Ĭhats are not an appropriate medium for the retention of records. After June 30, 2021, chats are automatically deleted when they are 180 days old. Yes, if a chat was 180 days old or older on June 30, 2021, the chat has been deleted following the new chat retention process. The following outlines what is affected for each platform:įrequently Asked Questions Will chats that are older than 180 days when the new process is implemented automatically be deleted? Files shared through these services may be subject to different processes. This automated process and its effective date applies to written or typed messages in Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype for Business. With this new automated process, all affected student-to-faculty, student-to-staff, and student-to-student chat messages are automatically deleted after 180 days to ensure a consistent experience for all users, help students manage digital clutter, and protect student privacy. The 180-day retention period was chosen because it parallels the general period of two academic terms. The period is long enough to reference the temporary information chats are intended for while helping to minimize digital clutter and protect privacy. All chat messages affected by this process will be deleted after 180 days and cannot be recovered. This will apply to most chats, but please see the information specific to each service below for more information. The following webpage outlines the changes that will go into effect, required actions, and some frequently asked questions.Īs of June 30, 2021, chat messages 180 days or older will be automatically deleted. Using these automated retention tools for chat messages will help employees manage their chats and reduce digital clutter, so faculty, staff, and students don’t have to go through the laborious process of individually deleting hundreds or thousands of chat messages. Chat auto-retention is part of a larger initiative to help employees and university departments manage their records effectively and efficiently. More information on additional resources and automated processes will be shared as soon as they are available. When using these digital tools, employees are creating records that may be disclosed if requested under the Oregon Public Records Law or under the federal Freedom of Information Act.Īs a public institution, the University of Oregon is responsible for ensuring orderly retention and management of all records, including preservation of public records of value and destruction of records following the appropriate retention schedule.Īccording to the University Records Management Policy, chats, like text messages and other temporary records that result from communication technologies, are generally considered “Records Not Subject to Retention,” which means they can be deleted immediately or when they are no longer useful because these kinds of messages are generally more conversational and do not contain the kinds of substantive material that needs to be retained pursuant to the university’s Records Retention Schedule. However, chat messages could be subject to retention if they do contain content that falls under the Records Retention Schedule. In these instances, that content needs to be preserved in more durable storage for the retention period. While these services have made it easier to stay connected and productive in a remote work environment, employees must be mindful of how they use these services. With the university’s switch to remote operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these services have increased in use across campus, creating records that employees now need to manage. On June 30, 2021, University Records Management and Information Services implemented new automated retention tools built into Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype for Business.