Eric, you make an excellent point on the legal aspect, and it is the first thing that came to mind when I read the article.  My wife and I are actually involved in a legal situation that is scheduled to go to trial in April. and the historical aspect of the original medical data is critical.  In our situation, one of the first things I did three years ago was collect records as they existed at that time, under the guise of providing them to our other medical care providers.  Of course, the argument of modification can work both ways, and we as technical people understand that, but at least we have basis for argument in the event data has been 'interpreted'.

As another aside here, the current trend in attempting to 'rewrite history' in this nation presents an interesting situation in the effort to have it both ways, depending on motivation.  As the current discussion of 'reparations' illustrates, financial motivation is a powerful force, and the victims are not always the perpetrators.  Rewriting history can change who the victims are. 

The legal ramifications of data are immense regardless of it's veracity.