Hundreds of state employees in Colorado have prepared to have their emails eliminated to remove access to government records that would otherwise be public.
The Denver Post reports that the affected employees work for the Department of Regulatory Agencies which regulates state industries including insurance, banks, electric utilities and real estate.
Officials say the department's 600 employees were notified multiple times of the upcoming purge set to begin Friday.
Department officials say employees were instructed to preserve any vital emails, including pending litigation or existing open records requests.
Officials say the purge is to ensure department emails are easily searchable.
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition says deletion of electronic records is a major problem for those seeking information.
Colorado law gives state departments broad discretion in crafting their record-keeping policies.
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