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Metadata In Arizona Public Records Can't Be Withheld
jasonbuechler writes in with news of the first state to declare that metadata is part of public records and must be released when the records are. "Hidden data embedded in electronic public records must be disclosed under Arizona's public records law, the state Supreme Court said Thursday... The Supreme Court's unanimous decision, which overturned lower court rulings, is believed to be the first by a state supreme court on whether a public records law applies to so-called metadata. 'This is at the cutting edge — it's the law trying to catch up with technology,' [one lawyer said]. The Arizona ruling came in a case involving a demoted Phoenix police officer's request for data embedded in notes written by a supervisor. The officer got a printed copy but said he wanted the metadata to see whether the supervisor backdated the notes to before the demotion."
I ran an ISP owned by a lawyer once upon a time. The guy before me I found out had embezzled like 60 grand by writing checks to his wife for "services rendered". I told the lawyer, and he said, "that figures" and went back to his work. I asked aren't you going to sue him? He said that smart lawyers never sue anyone themselves, it's much more profitable to sue for other people. He told me to make sure to pay taxes as if she was a contractor, and turned back to his work obviously not wanting to be disturbed again.
So two ambulance chasing lawyers would probably just file insurance, and be done with it :).
I know... as a resident of Arizona, I want an officer promoted who's intelligent enough to be aware of metadata, let alone its availability!
Here's the Amicus Brief
http://www.ananews.com/flyers/amicus_brief2009.pdf
and the Oral Argument Case Summary
http://www.supreme.state.az.us/argument/09Summaries/September%2024%20CV-09-0036-PR.pdf
It's not English that's fun, it's English borrowing foreign words that English speakers don't understand the rules for declension for that are fun. "Datus/Data/Datum" is the perfect passive participle of the Latin verb "dare", which means "to give". It's basically an adjective used as a substantive (i.e., a non-noun being used as a noun thanks to the power of implication) in this case.
As used in English, "Datum" (the neuter nominative singular) would most literally mean "(implied, but unspecified thing) having been given". "Data" would be the neuter nominative plural meaning "(implied, but unspecified things) having been given". So unless someone is transmitting only one unspecified thing, "data" is most appropriate in its level of mass noun vagueness.