CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data Governance, Quality and ControlsMedium
A company's data retention policy states that customer transaction records must be deleted after seven years. Legal counsel then notifies the data team that the company is now involved in litigation, and certain transaction records dated five years ago must not be deleted until the case is resolved, even though the retention period has not yet expired. Which of the following BEST describes this requirement?
- AData archiving
- BRight to erasure
- CData minimization
- DLegal hold
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Legal hold
A legal hold suspends normal retention/deletion schedules to preserve data relevant to pending or anticipated litigation, overriding the standard policy until the legal matter concludes.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Archiving refers to moving data to long-term storage, not suspending deletion for legal reasons.
- B. Right to erasure is a privacy right allowing deletion requests, the opposite of preserving data.
- C. Data minimization is about collecting only necessary data, unrelated to preserving records for litigation.
Legal Hold
A directive that suspends normal data retention and destruction schedules to preserve information relevant to pending or anticipated litigation, audits, or investigations.
- Overrides standard retention policy timelines
- Issued typically by legal counsel
- Ends when litigation or investigation concludes
Memory trick: Litigation freezes the retention clock like a courtroom 'HOLD' sign.