In this guide
Public service requires good information stewardship. A record may be connected to public business without being appropriate for you to distribute casually, upload to an outside tool or interpret as exempt from a formal process.
Boston’s public-records FAQ explains a presumption of public access subject to statutory exemptions. The City’s acceptable-use policy addresses workforce technology and records. Together they point to a practical distinction: the existence of an access right or a records process does not authorize every employee to make every disclosure decision.
Ask three questions before moving information
- Purpose: what work task requires this information?
- Authority: which approved procedure and role permit this use?
- Destination: is the recipient or tool authorized for this particular information?
A fictional spreadsheet example
An employee wants help explaining a service trend. A spreadsheet contains useful totals but also identifiable case-level details. Copying the entire file into an unfamiliar website is not the same action as discussing an aggregate trend with an authorized colleague. The employee should use the approved workflow and ask whether an appropriate, permitted summary can meet the purpose. This article does not decide that particular data is anonymous or safe to disclose.
A records request is its own process
If someone asks you for workplace records, follow the City’s applicable records-handling instructions and designated route. Do not improvise exemptions, promise that all material is confidential or erase material because it might be requested. The authorized records process is the place to decide what can be provided and how.
Keep explanatory examples free of real cases
When learning a new writing or analysis method, use invented examples where permitted, rather than real resident or employee details. Remove the temptation to “just paste a small sample” if that sample still identifies someone or reveals restricted information. A training objective does not expand your access or sharing permissions.
Ask before using a new tool
A convenient external service may have different retention and processing practices from the tools approved for work. Check the relevant technology and information policy before use. If you have already made a mistake, use the designated reporting route promptly rather than concealing it or asking this publication to handle the record. We cannot receive incident reports or evaluate a specific legal disclosure.
Continue with learning with approved information, checking public evidence.