What does the term "expungement of information" refer to in legal contexts?

The term "expungement of information" in legal contexts refers specifically to the removal of records as mandated by law. This process typically involves a legal procedure whereby an individual's criminal record or certain legal documents are eliminated or sealed, thus treating them as though they never existed in the eyes of the law. This removal can occur under certain circumstances, such as fulfilling specific rehabilitation criteria or after a designated period has passed since the offense.

Expungement allows individuals to move on with their lives without the burden of a criminal record affecting employment opportunities, housing applications, or other personal matters. It underscores the legal recognition of second chances and the importance of privacy in certain situations.

The other options do not accurately depict expungement. The idea of deletion based solely on an individual's request (as suggested by the first option) lacks the necessary legal framework that governs expungement. Archiving documents (the third option) implies keeping records accessible for future reference, contradicting the notion of expungement. Finally, transferring information to another organization (the fourth option) does not relate to the concept of expungement, which is fundamentally about the total removal or sealing of records rather than passing them along.