by Michael Peters
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Corporate Records: Voice-mail

As electronic discovery matures to meet the ever-changing technology landscape, it is incumbent upon the information security practitioner, forensic investigator, General Counsel, or others responsible for the discovery, acquisition, processing, preservation, and presentation of electronic records to keep swimming or risk drowning. There should be no illusion that voicemail would be considered an electronic record worth securing. I’ve made my own suggestions and pondered comments from others concerning the treatment of this particular technology.

Here are a few of those comments:

  • Forward company phone to personal voice-mail or even company owned mobile voice-mail puts voice-mail as a discoverable record out of the reaches from legal hold or subpoenas.
  • Voice-mail instructions to leave just a name and number, but no message.
  • Eliminating voice-mail.
  • Shorten the voice-mail message length to just a few seconds as opposed to the default minutes.

Here is some pertinent case history I’ve found to date:

Ind.—Wade v. State, 490 N.E.2d 1097 (Ind. 1986).
Mo.—State v. Mahaffey, 676 S.W.2d 20 (Mo. Ct. App. S.D. 1984).

Md.—Imes v. State, 158 Md. App. 176, 855 A.2d 381 (2004), cert. denied, 384 Md. 158, 862 A.2d 994 (2004).
As to authentication of audio recordings, see § 1421.

U.S.—U.S. v. Sandoval, 709 F.2d 1553, 13 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 381 (D.C. Cir. 1983).

Wyo.—Vrooman v. State, 642 P.2d 782 (Wyo. 1982).

Miss.—Walker v. State, 878 So. 2d 913 (Miss. 2004).
Implied admission of guilt

Minn.—State v. Schulz, 691 N.W.2d 474 (Minn. 2005).

U.S.—U.S. v. Kehm, 799 F.2d 354, 21 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 339 (7th Cir. 1986).
Neb.—State v. Taylor, 221 Neb. 114, 375 N.W.2d 610 (1985).

Ky.—Pollini v. Com., 172 S.W.3d 418 (Ky. 2005).

Fla.—McCoy v. State, 853 So. 2d 396 (Fla. 2003).
Miss.—Easter v. State, 878 So. 2d 10 (Miss. 2004).

U.S.—U.S. v. Pope, 132 F.3d 684, 48 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 773 (11th Cir. 1998).
Ky.—Potts v. Com., 172 S.W.3d 345 (Ky. 2005).

U.S.—U.S. v. Bell, 651 F.2d 1255 (8th Cir. 1981).
Alaska—Gallagher v. State, 651 P.2d 1185 (Alaska Ct. App. 1982).
Ky.—Potts v. Com., 172 S.W.3d 345 (Ky. 2005).

Fla.—McCoy v. State, 853 So. 2d 396 (Fla. 2003).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).
Fla.—McCoy v. State, 853 So. 2d 396 (Fla. 2003).
Va.—Jackson v. Com., 267 Va. 178, 590 S.E.2d 520 (2004), cert. denied, 543 U.S. 891, 125 S. Ct. 168, 160 L. Ed. 2d 155 (2004).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).
Fla.—McCoy v. State, 853 So. 2d 396 (Fla. 2003).
R.I.—State v. Briggs, 886 A.2d 735 (R.I. 2005).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).
Ga.—Gaston v. State, 180 Ga. App. 470, 349 S.E.2d 526 (1986).
Miss.—Dye v. State, 498 So. 2d 343 (Miss. 1986).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).

U.S.—U.S. v. Hsieh Hui Mei Chen, 754 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1985).

Fla.—Stanley v. State, 451 So. 2d 897 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 4th Dist. 1984).

U.S.—U.S. v. Robinson, 707 F.2d 872, 13 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 111 (6th Cir. 1983).

N.H.—State v. Yates, 152 N.H. 245, 876 A.2d 176 (2005).

Ky.—Pollini v. Com., 172 S.W.3d 418 (Ky. 2005).

N.H.—State v. Yates, 152 N.H. 245, 876 A.2d 176 (2005).

N.H.—State v. Yates, 152 N.H. 245, 876 A.2d 176 (2005).

N.H.—State v. Yates, 152 N.H. 245, 876 A.2d 176 (2005).

Fla.—Golden v. State, 429 So. 2d 45 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1st Dist. 1983), cause dismissed, 438 So. 2d 833 (Fla. 1983).