• Lists of key events or themes • Types of violations • List of places of incidents. A fully searchable database, together with the predetermined reports, assists in finding and analysing information, and in the drafting of reports. 3. HANDLING AND STORING SENSITIVE INFORMATION The commission/mission should establish internal guidelines to preserve the confidentiality of sources of information and the security of information and shall ensure that all members and staff are aware of their responsibility to implement the measures. These may include the exclusive use of the database of the commission/mission to collect, document and store information while on field missions, the use of encrypted hard drives or USB keys, and password protection. While in the field, staff should enter collected information into the database at the first opportunity and try to ensure that the Internet connection used is safe. Staff and members should be advised to carry with them only the information that is essential to their tasks. 4. CLASSIFYING SENSITIVE INFORMATION In order to ensure that sensitive information is handled appropriately, the commission/ mission shall identify what information needs to be classified and at what level (i.e., “strictly confidential”, “confidential” or “unclassified”),68 as guided by applicable United Nations rules. For example, interview reports are always classified as “strictly confidential”. All information from a public source remains unclassified. 5. CREATING RECORDS FOR ARCHIVING To ensure that the information gathered by a commission/mission is preserved in full and in its integrity, it should be stored, according to United Nations rules and procedures, in both soft and hard copy, with classified and unclassified information clearly separate and the content of any folder easily identifiable. Information shall be stored as follows: • The web-based platform containing all administrative and substantive information, including scanned copies of hard documents received in the course of the 68 According to United Nations rules, “unclassified” information refers to all information or material that can be disclosed without prior authorization; “confidential” information refers to information that will be declassified automatically after 20 years, although access to the information will be granted only upon request; and “strictly confidential” information is never automatically declassified. Information and records that are marked “strictly confidential” shall be reviewed item by item for possible declassification after 20 years and thereafter every 5 years. GUIDANCE AND PRACTICE 73