A Primer to Slack eDiscovery

23 May 2023

5 min read

Ahana

1. Introduction

In today's digital age, communication platforms like Slack have become a staple in the workplace tool for collaboration, file sharing, and team communication. Slack can be used to exchange sensitive information that needs to be preserved for legal, regulatory, or business purposes.

Slack eDiscovery is a feature that allows organizations to search, collect, and preserve relevant data from Slack workspaces for legal or compliance purposes. eDiscovery allows companies to efficiently manage legal and compliance requests by providing a streamlined and organized way to collect and produce data.

Source: Where the Money Goes: Understanding Litigant Expenditures for Producing Electronic Discovery

2. Understanding Slack eDiscovery

2.1. Why Slack eDiscovery matters

Slack eDiscovery is crucial for companies in several ways:

Compliance: With regulations becoming increasingly stringent, companies need to have a reliable eDiscovery process to ensure they comply with relevant laws and regulations. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines, legal liabilities, or reputational damage.

Litigation: In the event of a lawsuit, companies must produce relevant data quickly and efficiently. Companies must conduct eDiscovery to search and produce data from Slack workspaces that may be relevant to a particular case.

Data preservation: eDiscovery ensures that companies preserve relevant data in a legally defensible manner. This is crucial in the event of a legal or compliance request, where companies need to produce data that is defensible and immutable.

Investigation: eDiscovery can be used for internal investigations, such as employee misconduct or data breaches. It allows companies to quickly collect and analyze relevant data from Slack to support their investigations.

2.2. Slack eDiscovery process

The Slack eDiscovery process consists of three essential steps: data preservation, data collection, and data review, ensuring a thorough and efficient eDiscovery workflow.

Data preservation: It is crucial to preserve relevant data in a legally defensible manner. Slack conversations, messages, and files are constantly being created and modified. Without proper preservation, there is a risk of data loss or inadvertent deletion. By implementing data preservation protocols, organizations can safeguard critical information and ensure that it remains accessible even if users delete or modify it within Slack. Slack has built-in data preservation features, automatically retaining data by default. Companies can further enhance data preservation by configuring retention policies tailored to their specific needs. Implementing appropriate retention policies guarantees that data is securely preserved for the required duration, aligning with legal and regulatory obligations. For detailed guidance on retaining Slack data, refer to the article: "An Admin’s Guide to Slack Data Retention Policy"

Data collection: Once relevant data is identified, it is necessary to collect and process it for review. Slack offers multiple avenues for data collection, including exporting messages, exporting files, or utilizing APIs to automate the collection process. These collection methods enable organizations to efficiently gather the necessary data for eDiscovery purposes, ensuring a comprehensive and accurate representation of the information.

Data review: The review stage involves meticulously examining the collected data for relevancy. During this phase, messages, files, and other pertinent data are thoroughly reviewed to determine their significance to the case at hand. This diligent review process guarantees that only relevant data is produced, reducing the time and effort spent on reviewing irrelevant or confidential information.

By following the Slack eDiscovery process, organizations can confidently navigate through the preservation, collection, and review stages, ensuring a streamlined and effective eDiscovery workflow. With robust data preservation practices, efficient data collection methods, and meticulous data review, organizations can meet their legal obligations while saving valuable time and resources in the eDiscovery process.

3. Setting up eDiscovery tool in Slack

Slack acts as a colossal repository, retaining all messages indefinitely by default which results in an extensive archive of an organization's communications.

The data stored in Slack isn't confined to the exchanges between its users. Slack integrates data from a multitude of sources, consolidating it all in one location. With over a thousand apps that can be linked, Slack has established itself as a centralized hub of information capable of aggregating an immense amount of diverse information.

Also, tracking the data in Slack is very difficult. Communication in Slack takes place in public channels, similar to open chat rooms, or they could be private, where only the involved participants are privy to the conversation. It happens also one-to-one, through direct messages. And the records are not set in stone- all of those records are editable. Users can create and delete channels, edit individual messages, add and remove files, create, modify, or remove integrations, and get rid of visible records altogether.

The popularity of tools like Slack has completely transformed how we share information and, as a result, how we find it. Traditional ways of searching for information in legal cases are not effective anymore, so legal teams are looking for new solutions.

3.1. Data preservation

3.1.1. Understanding Slack data retention

The way information is retained in a workspace determines what can be exported and used during an investigation or discovery process.

The default setting in Slack is to keep data indefinitely. However, Slack provides flexibility to workspace owners to adjust their message and file retention rules. Files can either be retained for as long as the workspace exists or set to be removed after a certain period.

But Slack's native retention settings do not provide granular control for customizing retention policies based on specific channels, user groups, or data types. This can result in unnecessary data preservation or inadvertent deletion of relevant information. Organizations may require more flexibility to tailor retention policies to their unique requirements.

To know more about Slack retention policy, read our in-depth article.

3.2. Collecting data for Slack eDiscovery

3.2.1. How to export data from Slack for eDiscovery?

For organizations looking to export Slack data for legal purposes, accessing all Slack records can be difficult. Currently, Slack allows workspace owners and administrators in all plans to only export data from public channels. To access records from private channels and direct messages, the process is more difficult.

For free and standard plan administrators who want to export all workspace data, they need to make a request. To do so, they must provide one of the following:

A legitimate legal procedure,
Consent from the members involved, or
A mandate or right as per the relevant laws.

There are currently two ways to collect data from Slack for eDiscovery:

1. Obtaining Slack data through standard or corporate exports

Editions available: Free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise Grid

Firstly, a workspace administrator must request either a standard or corporate export of data from Slack. A standard export provides all public channel content in a workspace, encompassing messages and file links. In contrast, a corporate export includes content from both public and private channels, as well as direct messages. For a comprehensive view of your Slack data, a corporate export offers a complete overview of your workspace content. They also allow administrators to schedule regular exports on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. However, the drawback is that the exported data will appear as a complex JSON file.

To know how to export Slack data natively, read our in-depth article.

Limitations of exporting Slack data using Slack import and export tool:

Time consuming since export must be set up manually for all plans except for the Business+ subscription. Admins might leave out important data while exporting which can result in data loss.
Using the Slack import and export tool, admins can only export content from public channels and links to the files. Data from private channels and direct messages are lost forever in case of an outage.
There is no option to select specific fields to be exported. All the content from the public channels and the links to the file will be exported thus increasing the size of the export.

2. Collecting Slack data through the Discovery API

Editions available: Enterprise Grid

Slack Discovery API is a tool available to enterprise grid account plans that provides organization access to all data across multiple Slack workspaces within the account, including edit and deletion logs. The main benefit of using Slack Discovery API for collection and export is that you can export from multiple workspaces. Utilizing the Discovery API allows access to all resources across multiple workspaces within your account, covering edits and deletions, all while using a single access token. The Slack Discovery API is designed specifically for eDiscovery and compliance purposes. This API allows organizations to access and export data in a legally compliant manner. It also supports searching, filtering, and exporting content to meet eDiscovery requirements.

With Slack's Discovery APIs, organizations on the Enterprise Grid subscription can export messages and files from a workspace using approved third-party apps. From the data warehouses, messages and files can be searched, archived, or retrieved.

2 (a): Steps for implementing Slack eDiscovery API

Step 1: Evaluate Your Needs

Determine whether your organization needs an eDiscovery or Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tool to work in tandem with Slack's Discovery APIs. E-discovery tools typically off.er read-only access to Slack messages and file data and archive data in a data warehouse, while DLP tools help prevent confidential information from being shared outside of Slack. Your choice will depend on your organization's requirements and compliance objectives.

Here's an overview of how e-discovery apps work:

They typically have read-only access to Slack message and file data
Data can’t be quarantined, removed or tagged within Slack
Data is captured and archived within a data warehouse

Step 2: Choose a suitable eDiscovery solution

Slack works with numerous third-party eDiscovery and DLP partners to help you manage your organization's data. If you're ready to explore a Slack eDiscovery solution, make sure it can at least:

Connect Slack's Discovery API directly to ensure you’re extracting the most legally defensible data.
Have the ability to choose and save the specific Slack data you want to collect.
If needed, keep synchronizing and storing specific workspace data continuously.
Turn complicated JSON files into understandable information that makes sense.
Clearly indicate any changes or deletions made in messages.
Apply necessary legal holds on individuals as required

Read more about the third-party eDiscovery and DLP partners provided by Slack, here.

Step 3: Request API Access

The primary org owner or an org owner can request to enable the Discovery API. Once enabled, it will be accessible to all org owners. Contact your Slack account representative or your chosen eDiscovery or DLP partner to request access to the Discovery API.

Step 4: Set Up the Integration

After obtaining API access, collaborate with your chosen eDiscovery or DLP partner to set up the integration with Slack's Discovery APIs. This will enable your organization to export or act on messages and files from Slack using the third-party tool.

Step 5: Export Data and Manage Formats

The Discovery API allows org owners to export messages and files from any workspace within an Enterprise Grid organization. Data exported via the Discovery API is in JSON format and is highly incomprehensible.

If your organization requires a different format, the Discovery API can be connected to your chosen third-party e-discovery or DLP app to export data in the desired format.

3.3. Challenges of Slack eDiscovery tool

Enormous amount of data: Slack communication often generates a massive volume of data. This is because every single message, file, reaction, and even edit history can be relevant in a legal context. Organizations with a lot of users and active communication can quickly generate gigabytes or even terabytes of data, which can be overwhelming to manage and process. Also, the data in Slack isn't just plain text. It includes a mix of messages, shared files (which could be in any format), emojis, reactions, and even system-generated messages. This variety can make the data more difficult to analyze and process compared to more uniform data types. Due to the sheer volume and variety of data, searching for relevant information can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Advanced search capabilities are needed to effectively filter and locate specific content, but even then, the process can be time-consuming and resource intensive.
Data export format: Once an export request is processed, the data can be downloaded in a .zip file with message history in JSON format and links to shared files. Although a standard format, JSON is not easily readable by non-technical users and may not be compatible with many eDiscovery tools designed for more traditional data types. The complex structure of the data within JSON files, combined with its intangible nature where data only makes sense in the broader context, complicates the extraction and review of specific information. Additionally, the mixed presentation of metadata and potentially large file sizes further adds to the challenge of handling JSON exports in Slack eDiscovery. This requires additional resources, tools, and technical expertise to effectively process and analyze the data.
Inability to Capture Edited or Deleted Messages: Depending on the organization's Slack settings and policies, edits or deletions of messages may not be captured or retained. This can potentially result in loss of critical information.
Compliance with Privacy Regulations: Privacy laws such as the GDPR, CCPA, and others mandate certain protections for personal data. Ensuring compliance with these regulations during the eDiscovery process can be complex and challenging, particularly given the unstructured nature of Slack data.

4. Simple eDiscovery for Slack

SysCloud eDiscovery search enables law firms and IT admins to quickly locate data and content of interest across Google Workspace apps and Slack conversations in SysCloud’s backup archives - with no additional setup or storage costs.

With using SysCloud backup application, Slack organizations can:

To know more about how SysCloud can help you with Slack eDiscovery, <click here.>

Perform advanced content search across cloud backup archives. Search all types of data including files, conversations, and threads.
Easily export the content identified by eDiscovery search from the backup archives for further investigation in a more tangible CSV format.
Identify content of interest, without worrying about the user tampering with the content.
Automated Slack backups and automatically resolves API errors.
Restore threads in a channel, direct messages, and channels with a single click.

To know more about how SysCloud can help you with Slack eDiscovery, click here.

4.1. Why do you need both backup and eDiscovery for Slack?

Even with Slack's eDiscovery capabilities, there are several reasons you might want to use a backup solution like SysCloud as well:

Data loss protection: Slack's eDiscovery capabilities are designed to identify, collect, and preserve data for legal proceedings. However, they may not be sufficient for general data loss prevention. SysCloud provides automatic backups of your data, which can help protect against data loss due to accidental deletions, malicious actions, or technical issues.
Long-term data retention: Slack's data retention policies can vary depending on the specific plan you have, and in some cases, data may not be retained indefinitely. SysCloud allows for long-term data retention, which can be helpful for regulatory compliance or for maintaining a historical record of your data.
Data recovery: In the event of data loss, you need to be able to recover your data quickly and accurately. SysCloud provides data recovery features that can help you restore lost data, which may not be possible or may be more difficult with Slack's eDiscovery features alone.
Security features: SysCloud also provides additional security features, such as ransomware protection and threat intelligence, which can provide an additional layer of protection for your data.
Compliance management: SysCloud offers compliance management tools that can help you ensure your data practices align with various regulatory standards, which can be critical for certain industries.
Ease of use: While Slack's eDiscovery features can be powerful, they may also be complex to use, especially for large or complex data sets. SysCloud provides a user-friendly interface that can make it easier to manage your data.

To know more about SysCloud backup for Slack, click here.

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In this article

Introduction
Understanding Slack eDiscovery
Setting up eDiscovery tool in Slack
Data preservation
Collecting data for Slack eDiscovery
Challenges of Slack eDiscovery tool
Simple eDiscovery for Slack

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