Collecting and preserving material

1. Regulatory Concept & Core Standards

Today we will learn to preserve provenance and traceable changes. Throughout the video, consider the difference between knowing a rule and applying it to a decision. We will work through an example, identify a possible failure and develop a response that can be used at work. Internal-investigation techniques are recommended methods. They confer no police powers and do not replace employment or privacy law. The aim is impartial fact-finding, supported conclusions and suitable improvements.

Evidence value depends on content, provenance and integrity. Check lawful access first. Changing originals may destroy context. Digital trails support assessment without proving the underlying content true.

Apply the following rule: Sections 11–12 protect the identities of reporters and persons concerned. The GDPR requires necessity-based retention. Adopt a specific document schedule considering archiving, procedural and sectoral duties. The Whistleblowing Law contains no universal five-year period for all reports. Assess attachments, exports and copies too.

2. Practical Implementation & Procedure

Record source, time, grounds and handlers. Control working copies and protect originals. Restrict access and record significant actions. Seek specialist support before changing technical material where necessary. Before moving on, turn this procedure into a sequence you could explain to a colleague. Identify the first check, the action that depends on its outcome and the record that allows the decision to be reconstructed. Follow the sequence on screen and identify the point where an error would change the result.

3. Case Study & Compliance Action

An invoice is edited without preserving the original. Its initial amount is unclear. Revised practice separates source and analysis copies. Now read the case carefully. Separate established facts from information you would still need to confirm. Do not add motives or events that have not been described. This distinction matters when choosing a response proportionate to the information available.

The exercise is as follows: Does file possession prove it was unchanged? Choose an answer and write one sentence explaining it. During the pause, compare your choice with the criteria we have just considered. Also think about the material you would retain to explain the decision later.

No. Check provenance and handling. Integrity and substantive reliability are related but distinct.

One mistake to avoid is: altering originals during analysis.

Now apply the national rule to a second decision. The system deletes every file five years after receipt. Is this a universal Latvian rule?

No. Define purpose, applicable procedural and archiving duties, starting event and review. Protect exports and attachments too. Completed examination does not automatically mean immediate deletion; indefinite unnecessary retention is also impermissible. Document exceptions and regular review.