Technology & Information Systems Flashcards

A municipal clerk receives a public records request for all city emails referencing a specific contract. Under most state public records laws, these emails are considered:

Answer: Public records subject to disclosure if related to official business

Emails created or received in the course of conducting official government business are public records subject to disclosure under most state sunshine laws, regardless of whether they reside on a government or personal server.

Which approach BEST protects a municipality from data loss when storing electronic records in the cloud?

Answer: Requiring vendors to sign a service-level agreement (SLA) that includes data backup and recovery provisions

A vendor SLA with explicit backup and recovery provisions legally obligates the provider to meet defined recovery time objectives and protects the municipality if data is lost or corrupted.

Open data initiatives in municipal government primarily aim to:

Answer: Make government datasets publicly available in machine-readable formats

Open data initiatives publish government datasets in machine-readable formats (e.g., CSV, JSON) so residents, developers, and journalists can analyze, reuse, and build upon government information.

Which cybersecurity practice is MOST effective in preventing unauthorized access to a clerk's electronic records system?

Answer: Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all system logins

Multi-factor authentication requires users to verify identity through two or more factors (e.g., password plus a mobile code), significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access even if passwords are compromised.

When transitioning from a paper-based records system to an electronic system, which step should a municipal clerk prioritize FIRST?

Answer: Conducting a records inventory and developing a migration plan aligned with the retention schedule

A thorough records inventory ensures that all records are identified, classified, and aligned with the retention schedule before migration, preventing loss of legally required records during the transition.

A municipality's social media posts made by official accounts about public business are generally classified as:

Answer: Public records subject to retention and potential disclosure

Official social media posts constitute public records because they document government activity and communications; municipalities must establish retention policies for social media content accordingly.

Which system allows municipalities to accept digitally signed official documents while verifying the signer's identity through a trusted third party?

Answer: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

PKI uses digital certificates issued by a trusted Certificate Authority to authenticate signers and ensure that electronically signed documents have not been tampered with after signing.