The noble weapon from the 1980s to fight against malfeasance in government, Freedom of Information, received another blow today as the Vancouver Sun reported charges were laid against a former BC government employee, a political staff member, who allegedly deleted embarrassing or otherwise damaging emails from probing freedom of information requests.   The Privacy Commissioner released a 65 page report last October that noted several government departments failed to keep adequate email records and wilfully destroyed records in response to freedom of information requests including the one above resulting in charges.   The BC government responded by the Premier telling all Ministers of the Crown not to delete emails. It makes one wonder why a government leader in 2016 would need to do that since the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act was passed and implemented in 1992-93. Ignorance is not a plausible excuse.   The BC Privacy Commissioner’s 65-page document recommended technology be installed to prevent employees from permanently deleting emails and legislation created that would require the documentation of key government decisions. No reply so far on this well-considered recommendation. A fast definitive response is not likely because governments have proven to be reluctant to do anything substantive.   The era of “freedom of information’ has produced a new landscape that in many respects has had the opposite effect than the one intended. The reckless abusers who continue to put inappropriate or damaging information in emails either ‘accidently’ delete or lose sensitive or incriminating emails when the risk of getting caught becomes more desirable than exposing the truth.   Over time, the majority of abusers in governments have learned to simply not put anything bad in writing and keep whatever is written short and non-damaging. This allows misfeasance to continue off the radar of detection.   Freedom of information legislation, as the numerous reports of email deletions, document removals or both being suspiciously lost confirm, over 20 years later, that the legislation has not stopped the abusers or their mean-spirited practices. The legislation has pushed the really bad stuff underground. More often than not, the Freedom of Information era in the New Millennium would best described as the Now You Don’t See It – Catch Me If You Can historical period.   If you should get caught then you might face a stern scolding from the premier of the province or a $5,000 fine or both.   The good news: we have cell phone video clips and audio recordings to catch the abusers on the streets, in boardrooms and at political rallies with irrefutable evidence – we also have more and more security cameras being installed in elevators, around shopping malls and on the streets in a desperate move to protect us from miscreants, vandals, criminals or terrorists. This may not prove to be such good news as we march under the shadow of George Orwell’s greatest fears.   It’s too bad we can’t find a better way to encourage people to be honest and to act in good faith rather than the threat of getting caught on camera, through voice mail messages or audio recordings or emails. It also may be the only real solution as threats rarely succeed the same way as honesty and truthfulness.