Scottish government officials and personnel will be prohibited from using informal mobile messaging apps – including WhatsApp – on official devices.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced this decision on Tuesday after an external review commissioned by former first minister Humza Yousaf was published.
This action was prompted by the UK COVID inquiry, which revealed that ministers and senior civil servants had erased WhatsApp messages exchanged during the pandemic.
Any “non-official” messaging applications will be eliminated from Scottish government devices by spring 2025, accompanied by updated guidelines and training in preparation. The deputy first minister stated:
“The use of mobile messaging apps increased during the pandemic as staff worked remotely in unprecedented and difficult circumstances.
“Having reflected on our working practices, we are now implementing changes to the use of mobile messaging apps.”
The review was conducted by former Channel Islands data protection commissioner Emma Martins.
Ms Forbes added: “Ms Martins’ timely review sets out some of the most challenging issues facing all governments.
“Work has already started to implement recommendations, and we will build on that work to ensure that data management, especially in relation to new technologies, is as robust as possible in order to continue to deliver efficient and effective public services.”
Ms. Martins proposed 20 recommendations across various aspects of corporate governance, including the principles of the Scottish government, its learning and development framework, its hiring processes, records management, and the use of mobile messaging applications. Improvement initiatives are already in progress, including enhancing the Scottish Ministerial Code and updating the policy regarding mobile messaging applications.
