If the DPS indicates an agency's records have been purged, what does this mean?

When the DPS indicates that an agency's records have been purged, it signifies that those records have been permanently deleted and are no longer accessible in any form. Purging typically indicates a complete removal from the system, meaning that the data has been eliminated according to established protocols and, as a result, cannot be retrieved or restored. This process is often part of data management policies designed to comply with privacy regulations or record retention requirements.

In contrast, options suggesting that records are "locked," "under review," or "can be restored at any time" do not accurately reflect the implications of a purge. When records are locked, they remain present in the system but are temporarily inaccessible; if they are under review, they are still available pending further action; and the idea of restoration implies that the records still exist in some retrievable state, which contradicts the permanent nature of purging.