WhatsApp messaging application installed on the phone, photo: Nicolas Economo-Nurphoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia Images
The Scottish government gives up the use of WhatsApp and other “non-chorporated” messenger services to carry out official activities on government mobile devices, BBC announces, quoted by News.ro. This decision comes after the investigation into the Covid-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom revealed that Scottish officials and ministers have wiped whatsapp messages changed during the pandemic.
The Scottish government has previously assumed the commitment to stop using WhatsApp and other unofficial messaging applications until the spring of this year.
Deputy Prime Minister Kate Forbes said that this measure will increase the “opening and transparency” in the government – but the Scottish Conservatives said that the public “will not be fooled to believe that a late concession marks a change of culture.”
The opposition deputies said that the new policy is a “clear recognition” from the government that it was wrong when it wiped the messages during the pandemic.
The policy has now entered into force, but some emergency and security teams will continue to gradually give up the application by the end of the year.
As part of the Covid investigation in the United Kingdom, it turned out that senior civil servants and ministers from Scotland, including former prime minister Nicola Sturgeon and current Prime Minister John Swinney, deleted WhatsApp messages on government issues, which had been requested by the investigation team.
However, they said that any “relevant” points were registered in the official documents and only the informal messages were deleted.
Other ministers of the Scottish Government-including Kate Forbes, who was Finance Secretary during the pandemic-said they kept their WhatsApp messages.
“We now implement changes in the use of these applications”
Sturgeon's successor, Humza Yousaf, ordered a review of mobile messages, which was made by Emma Martins, a data protection commissioner. The report found that there is “little evidence to show a consistent and wide knowledge, understanding or application” of mobile messaging applications, “including rules regarding the preservation, export and deletion of messages.”
The Scottish Government policy on mobile messaging applications stipulates that any material relevant for decisions should be registered in the official register.
Deputy Prime Minister Kate Forbes said that government officials have acted in accordance with this policy, but that they “reflected” on it later.
“The use of mobile messenger applications has increased during pandemic, as the staff worked from a distance in unprecedented and difficult circumstances,” she said.
“After reflecting on our work practices, we now implement changes in the use of these applications.”
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the policy will apply to all employees of the Scottish Government, including contractors, senior civil servants, special counselors and ministers.
She said that ministers and employees should use approved corporate applications, such as Teams and Email, and personal phones should not be used for official problems.
