PerPres

PerPres, short for Platform for Electronic Presidential Records, is a modular framework designed to capture, preserve, and present electronic records generated by executive offices. It aims to ensure authenticity, long‑term accessibility, and transparent governance of presidential documentation while supporting privacy and security requirements.

History: Conceived in 2016 by a coalition of national archives, libraries, and information‑policy researchers. Early pilots tested retention schedules, metadata models, and access controls across multiple jurisdictions to evaluate feasibility and interoperability.

Architecture and features: PerPres comprises ingest pipelines, a metadata registry, cryptographic integrity verification, and adapters for long‑term storage. The metadata model emphasizes provenance, custody, and version history. The platform provides role‑based access, auditable workflows, and public release mechanisms in line with transparency laws. It offers open APIs to interoperate with other archival and government information systems.

Governance and standards: The project maintains open standards for metadata and preservation workflows and is guided by a council of archivists, government representatives, and scholars. It emphasizes non‑destructive preservation and traceability of changes, with policies to prevent unauthorized alterations and to safeguard sensitive material.

Adoption and reception: Several national archives have integrated PerPres components into their digital preservation programs. Support highlights reliability and interoperability; critics express concerns about privacy, the potential for overreach in public release, and the need for strong governance to prevent misuse.

See also: Digital preservation, Archival science, Government transparency, Open data.