Overview
ISO/IEC 27050-3:2020 - "Information technology - Electronic discovery - Part 3: Code of practice for electronic discovery" - is the international code of practice that provides requirements and recommendations for managing electronic discovery (e-discovery) of electronically stored information (ESI). Published as the 2020 second edition, it covers activities across the ESI lifecycle from initial creation through final disposition and is intended for both technical and non-technical personnel. Users are expected to account for any applicable jurisdictional requirements when applying the standard.
Key Topics
ISO/IEC 27050-3:2020 organizes practical guidance and mandatory requirements around the principal e-discovery process elements:
- ESI identification - defining sources, types and scope of potentially relevant data.
- ESI preservation - protecting data integrity and maintaining chain of custody to prevent spoliation.
- ESI collection - safe, forensically sound acquisition methods and handling of live, archived and cloud data.
- ESI processing - data filtering, deduplication, OCR and indexing to prepare datasets for review.
- ESI review - legal and technical review workflows, privilege handling and quality controls.
- ESI analysis - techniques to surface relevant content, relationships and metadata.
- ESI production - formats, redaction practices and reproducible delivery for legal or regulatory processes.
Cross-cutting aspects include metadata preservation, security controls, documentation and risk mitigation. The standard also highlights common failure points (e.g., data corruption, encryption, inadequate indexing or OCR) and promotes measures to avoid them.
Applications
ISO/IEC 27050-3:2020 is applied in contexts where reliable, auditable handling of ESI is required:
- Litigation support and civil discovery (e-discovery) workflows
- Internal investigations and compliance reviews
- Regulatory response and disclosure obligations
- Incident response and data breach investigations where electronic evidence is relevant
- Forensic collection and expert testimony preparation
Typical users include legal practitioners, corporate counsel, IT and security teams, forensic specialists, e-discovery service providers, courts and compliance officers. The standard helps teams design cost-effective, defensible processes for ESI lifecycle management.
Related Standards
- ISO/IEC 27050-1:2019 - Overview and concepts for electronic discovery
- ISO/IEC 27037 - Guidelines for evidence acquisition and handling (digital forensics)
- ISO/IEC 27040 - Storage security considerations related to sensitive data
- ISO/IEC 27000 - Information security management vocabulary and overview
Adopting ISO/IEC 27050-3:2020 supports consistent, defensible e-discovery practices and improves alignment between legal requirements, technical controls and organizational processes for managing ESI.