Archiving Guidelines and Compliance
iLost recommends following all local laws and regulations regarding the storage and handling of found items. iLost cannot be held responsible if items are archived earlier than permitted by local legislation. For identity documents, each organization is responsible for defining its own internal storage procedures. To support GDPR compliance, iLost provides flexible archiving options, including the ability to archive items immediately upon registration when required by your internal policies.
Archiving Items in iLost
In your iLost dashboard, you will find an “Expired” category. This section contains all items for which the retention period has ended. Items in this category are automatically removed from the public webpage and are no longer available for new claims. As part of your internal process, items in the “Expired” category should be archived periodically. To archive items:
Select one or multiple items in the “Expired” category.
Click the blue “Archive all” button.
You will then be prompted to assign a final destination for each item. Examples include: Charity, Disposal/Trash, Police, or any other destination that aligns with your organization’s procedures.
*Admin users can create and manage final destination options under Company Settings.
Found Item Retention Periods
During the implementation of your iLost account, default retention periods are configured. These periods depend on both your organization’s policies and applicable local legislation. Some item types may require shorter retention periods than others. A common example is passes, cards, and identity documents, which often require accelerated archiving. Retention period adjustments can be made by the iLost Partner Support team, but only requests submitted by account administrators will be processed.
*Admin users can always manually accelerate the archiving of an item via the “More Actions” button.
**Please note that the retention periods in your iLost account may differ from the default settings if required by local laws or internal procedures.
Printing an Archive List
You can print a list of items that need to be archived. This is useful when clearing your physical storage area — especially when you cannot take the device running iLost with you. After clearing the physical storage, please remember that items must also be archived in the iLost system by clicking the “Archive” button.
What to Do With Archived Items
Once items have been archived in iLost, your organization becomes the legal owner and is responsible for determining how these items are processed. When handling items that contain personal or sensitive information, we strongly recommend taking extra care and following all applicable regulations. Below are common options for processing items after archiving:
Donate usable items to charity
Items in good condition can be given a second life by donating them to a charitable organization.Auction items
Some organizations choose to auction valuable items in accordance with internal or local regulations.Follow legal requirements for identification documents
Passports, ID cards, driving licences, and other government-issued documents must be handled and disposed of according to local legislation.Destroy bank cards and general access passes
To prevent misuse, bank cards, membership cards, and similar passes should be securely destroyed.Destroy other general items
Items that cannot be reused, donated, or sold can be destroyed in line with your organization’s policies.