BS 10008-2-2020 PDF

Full title and description

STB BS 10008-2-2020 — Evidential weight and legal admissibility of electronically stored information (ESI). Code of practice for implementation of BS 10008-1. This document provides a code of practice giving practical guidance to organisations implementing the requirements of BS 10008‑1 when managing electronically stored information where authenticity, integrity and availability are important for legal admissibility and evidential weight.

Abstract

BS 10008‑2:2020 (catalogued here as STB BS 10008-2-2020) is a code of practice that describes processes, controls and organisational arrangements to support the management, transfer and retention of electronically stored information (ESI) so that it can be relied upon in legal and regulatory proceedings. It complements the specification and principles set out in BS 10008‑1 by showing how to develop policies, procedures, metadata and technical measures to preserve authenticity, maintain integrity and demonstrate chain of custody for ESI.

General information

• Status: Confirmed / Active (current British Standard edition as of 2020).
• Publication date: May 2020 (published 29 May 2020; BSI catalogue entries list 29–31 May 2020).
• Publisher: British Standards Institution (BSI).
• ICS / categories: 03.160 (Law. Administration); 35.240.30 (IT applications in information, documentation and publishing).
• Edition / version: 2020 (BS 10008 series — Part 2: 2020). Revises earlier BS 10008:2014 family.
• Number of pages: 168 pages (PDF/printed edition).

Scope

This code of practice gives recommendations and guidance for the implementation and operation of information management systems that manage ESI, including where electronic information is transferred between systems. It covers the identification and development of organisational policies and procedures (as specified in BS 10008‑1) and describes the processes and controls needed to ensure that electronically stored information can be produced and relied upon in legal contexts (focusing on authenticity, integrity and availability). It is intended for use where the evidential weight and legal admissibility of ESI are important.

Key topics and requirements

• Guidance on implementing the policies and procedures required by BS 10008‑1 for managing ESI.
• Processes to establish and demonstrate authenticity, integrity and availability of electronic information.
• Recordkeeping, metadata capture and preservation practices to support evidential value and chain of custody.
• Controls for transfer, migration and exchange of ESI between systems to avoid loss or corruption.
• Technical and organisational measures (access controls, audit trails, hashing/checksums, time-stamping) to support admissibility.
• Retention and disposition rules consistent with legal/regulatory obligations and defensible deletion practices.
• Roles and responsibilities for information governance, legal liaison, IT, and records management.
• Recommendations on documentation, testing and validation to demonstrate compliance in litigation or regulatory review.

Typical use and users

Organisations that create, receive or hold electronically stored information with potential legal or regulatory significance — legal teams, records managers, information governance professionals, IT architects, compliance officers, auditors and e‑discovery practitioners. Typical use cases include defensible transfer of records, responding to disclosure/ discovery requests, ensuring long‑term admissibility of electronic documents, and establishing internal practices to demonstrate chain of custody and authenticity.

Related standards

Primary related documents include BS 10008‑1 (specification/principles for evidential weight of electronic information) and earlier BS 10008:2014. Other related standards and frameworks often referenced together are information security standards (for example ISO/IEC 27001 series) and national/regional e‑discovery and records legislation or procedural rules.

Keywords

Evidential weight, legal admissibility, electronically stored information (ESI), code of practice, records management, chain of custody, metadata, integrity, authenticity, retention, BS 10008, information governance.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: STB BS 10008-2-2020 corresponds to BS 10008‑2:2020 — a code of practice giving practical guidance for implementing BS 10008‑1 so that electronically stored information can carry evidential weight and be legally admissible.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers procedures, technical controls and organisational arrangements for capturing, preserving, transferring and producing ESI with demonstrable authenticity, integrity and availability; it explains how to implement policies and evidential controls described in BS 10008‑1.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Legal departments, records managers, information governance and compliance teams, IT architects and e‑discovery practitioners in organisations that must manage electronic records for legal, regulatory or evidential purposes.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: BS 10008‑2:2020 is the 2020 part‑2 edition and (as of the publication metadata) is the current code of practice tied to the BS 10008 family; it was issued in May 2020 and sits alongside BS 10008‑1:2020 and supersedes aspects of earlier BS 10008 editions. Users should check the issuing body (BSI) for any later amendments or revisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the BS 10008 series on evidential weight and legal admissibility of electronic information. The series includes BS 10008‑1 (principles/specification) and BS 10008‑2 (code of practice). The 2020 publications update earlier BS 10008 editions.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Evidential weight, legal admissibility, electronically stored information (ESI), records management, metadata, chain of custody, integrity, authenticity, retention, BS 10008.