Ministers, special advisers and civil servants have been ordered not to conduct government business via WhatsApp on their personal phones after tens of thousands of messages leaked from Matt Hancock.
The new Cabinet rules say that the use of government-appointed phones should be standard, and that sending WhatsApp messages to personal devices to share government information should only be done in “emergency circumstances.”
Anyone using their own phone for “important government business” must keep strict records, which can be shared if information is requested, and report this to their department head and IT team.
People should be prepared to search for their own WhatsApp messages when submitting a freedom of information request.
When important or sensitive government business is conducted on personal devices, it must be transferred to the official Whitehall systems.
Ministers and civil servants should not use the disappearing messages option on their WhatsApp accounts if it means they cannot keep records of government affairs.
If a minister or official leaves the department, they are required to transfer their entire history to WhatsApp.
Rishi Sunak’s key ally, Cabinet Secretary Oliver Dowden, will oversee the new rules.
Earlier this month daily telegram published messages from Mr Hancock’s WhatsApp account between senior government officials, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other ministers when he was health secretary during the pandemic.
The messages were stored on Mr Hancock’s personal device, which he gave last year to journalist Isabel Oakeshott to help write his memoir. Oakeshott then delivered the messages telegraphclaiming it was in the public interest as they cited controversial Covid lockdown decisions.
Senior officials are increasingly concerned about “government via Whatsapp” as ministers routinely use their own phones to communicate important government directives.
Last year, the Institute of Government published a report calling for stricter measures regarding the use of WhatsApp in Whitehall.
Tim Durrant, deputy director of the Institute of Public Administration, said the moves are “definitely a step towards tightening controls.”
He said I: “I wish they had implemented a complete ban on government devices on personal devices, but it will be difficult to enforce.”
“And the fact that they also address privacy and transparency issues is a good thing – the explicit reference to a WhatsApp review when a department receives an access to information request is good, as we have heard that WhatsApp does not perform regular reviews when dealing with FoI.”
“So I think it’s all good – the question is whether ministers and deputies are complying and what mechanisms are in place to enforce them.”
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.