Government staff could be disciplined for using WhatsApp for work, MSPs told

Civil servants who use WhatsApp or other messaging apps on their own devices to carry out government business could be subject to disciplinary proceedings, MSPs have been told.

With the Scottish Government having already committed to ending the use of WhatsApp and other non-official message applications by spring this year, Holyrood’s Finance and Public Administration Committee was told that these apps were “now gone from government devices”.

When pressed on what would happen if staff used WhatsApp or similar on a personal phone for work purposes, senior official Lesley Fraser told the committee it would be a disciplinary matter.

Fraser, the director general corporate at the Scottish Government, made clear the expectation was the policy of not using WhatsApp for work would be “adhered to”.

It comes after it emerged as part of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, that ministers and senior civil servants had deleted WhatsApp messages which had been requested by the inquiry team.

And deputy first minister Kate Forbes announced last week the Scottish Government was “setting out a clear approach to ending Government use of mobile messaging apps”.

However, SNP MSP Michelle Thomson said that might be “slightly optimistic given most people will have personal devices as well”.

She added: “There’s really nothing to stop them using their personal devices to carry on transacting government business.”

Fraser told her: “We’ve been very clear with colleagues that this would be a disciplinary matter.

“We expect colleagues to follow our information management guidance policy, so WhatsApp and such mobile messaging applications are now gone from government devices.”

She added: “Government business needs to be done on government devices, for the benefits of security, as well as traceability and accountability.

“So I think that message is well understood by colleagues and colleagues are very keen to comply and work with the new arrangements.”

Thomson said: “Many people use WhatsApp with the function set to autodelete, so how would you ever know?”

But Fraser insisted it was “absolutely clear that except in very exceptional business continuity circumstances, we are anticipating everybody using government devices and government systems”.

She added that if a “cyber incident” or other problem required someone to do government business from a personal device, “they would need to date-stamp that, record the fact and arrange for that material to be brought on to the record”.

Permanent secretary Joe Griffin added that the policy of not conducting government business on WhatsApp on personal devices had been “well communicated” and was “well understood”.

He said: “Like any corporate policy now there is an expectation that that will be followed.”