What part of “Backup” is so difficult to understand?
My guess is anyone in IT with a lick of sense would require a written order by competent authority to erase backup data storage.
I have made it clear to my management chain that I will only delete critical information upon receipt of written permission by an officer of the company. I believe that this is SOP in most businesses.
Depends on what their retension policy is. At my old company, it used to be 3 years. After that, tapes were reused or destroyed, fairly quickly. Not only are they too expensive to just have lying around unused (assuming they’re useable) they’re also a security risk.
So, in a sane company, sure, I could buy that they were erased/reused or destroyed. But, given that this is the government, I doubt they’re that competent.