Ministry of Justice issues digital preservation code

The Ministry of Justice is recommending that public bodies do more to preserve digital records, and is extending FoI to more organisations. Announcing the updated guidance, justice minister Michael Wills said the new recommendations will help ensure that digital records stored by public sector organisations can be accessed and …

[Anonymous Coward]

meh

"One of the key features of a code of practice is that it sets out recommended good practice, but is not legally enforceable"

Why is it that most of the rules and regulations that are to do with information and how it is managed and how much access we have to it are not enforceable so worth just as much as an MPs promise.

Funny how any new law from the retired jack boot jaqui went to legislation rather than volunteer codes... another waste from this rubbish government.

[Paul Gomme]

Good luck with that

"The introduction of the Freedom of Information Act has significantly increased transparency in public life and the right to access information has become a cornerstone of our democracy," said Wills.

Have you ever tried applying for anything of use under the Freedom of Information Act? Good luck...

[Graham Marsden]

"the right to access information has become a cornerstone of our democracy"

Provided you don't actually try to get any information out of our "democratically elected" Government...!

[Colin Wilson]

Digital preservation

It has to be stored in a format that will still be accessible long after the physical media it was originally stored on is no longer available.

Essentially, it all needs to be in unrestricted DRM free format, and the file formats need to be fully documented.

Plain text and ascii graphs anyone ? :-}

[Armus Squelprom]

ACPO - Yeah, Right...

I guarantee that two weeks before ACPO finally becomes subject to public scrutiny, all it's shady and antidemocratic activity will simply be exported to another still-exempt body, leaving a 'shell' ACPO to issue press releases about transparency.

Try asking them what accountability or governance applied to the adoption of Kratos "shoot-on-sight" rules, and you might as well ask a cat to explain algebra. It's a national scandal.

[E 2]

Well established solution

Just print out binary on acid free paper.

[John Smith 19]

FoI applied to ACPO?

Wonders will never cease.

They ran the national riot squads during the Miners Strike but were described at the time as having "As much legal standing as a stamp club."

This could be interesting.

[Anonymous Coward]

ACPO

Extending the FOI to the ACPO is long overdue... They need a little public scrutiny.