The Freedom of Information Bill, 2012 Management of records. 48. (1) In this section(a) “records” means a document or other source of information compiled,recorded or stored in written form or film by electronic process or in any other manner; (b) records shall be accurate,authentic,have integrity and useable. (2)Every public authority shall keep and maintain its records in a manner which facilitates the right of access to information as provided for in this Act. (3) At a minimum, to qualify to have complied with the duty to keep and maintain records under subsection (1), every public authority shall – (a) create and preserve such records as are necessary to document adequately its policies, decisions, procedures, transactions and other activities it undertakes pertinent to the implementation of its mandate; (b) ensure that records in its custody, including those held in electronic form, are maintained in good order and condition; and (c) within no more than three years from the date that this Act begins to apply to it, computerize its records and information management systems in order to facilitate more efficient access to information. Electronic records. Offence of alteration, defacement, blocking, erasure etc 49.Every public authority or private body shall operate and maintain digital records. 50. (1) Where an application to access information has been made to a public authority under section 29 of this Act and the applicant would have been entitled, subject to payment of any fee, to provision of any information in accordance with that section, any person to whom this section applies commits of an offence if he alters, defaces, blocks, erases, destroys or conceals any record held by the public authority, with the intention of preventing the disclosure by that authority of all, or any part, of the information provision of which the applicant would have been entitled. 42