Arizona Supreme Court Rules Metadata Is a Public Record

Arizona Supreme Court Rules Metadata Is a Public Record

Posted Oct 30, 2009, 07:30 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s public records law requires disclosure of metadata embedded in the electronic records.

The supreme court ruled in the case of a demoted police officer who wanted access to metadata to see whether notes written by his supervisor were backdated to justify the job action, according to the Associated Press and the Arizona Republic. Metadata can show when an electronic document was created or revised, and how it was altered.

The ruling is believed to be the first state supreme court ruling on public records and metadata, AP says.

Additional coverage:

The American Lawyer: “Ariz. Supreme Court Sees the Metadata”

Ars Technica: “Lobbyists beware: judge rules metadata is public record”

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