After destroying records, what should you do to ensure accountability?

• A. Maintain deletion logs to document that records were destroyed.
• B. Ignore the action and rely on memory.
• C. Inform the public about the destruction.
• D. Encrypt the deleted files again.

Answer: (A)

Keeping an audit trail of record destruction is essential for accountability. When records are destroyed, maintaining deletion logs creates a verifiable record of what was destroyed, when, by whom, how it was done, and who approved it. This supports compliance with retention schedules and legal or regulatory requirements and helps prevent disputes or accusations of improper destruction. Relying on memory isn’t reliable, and attempting to inform the public about destruction can breach confidentiality. Encrypting deleted files after destruction doesn’t apply, since the records are already destroyed and no further access is possible. So, documenting the destruction with clear logs is the best practice for accountability.