Scottish Government Bans WhatsApp for Official Use Amid Record-Keeping Scandal

The Government of Scotland has banned the use of WhatsApp and other personal messaging apps for official business on government devices.

This move follows revelations from the United Kingtom Covid inquiry that some ministers, including former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and current First Minister John Swinney, had deleted pandemic-related messages.

According to the Deputy First Minister Kate, the ban aims at boosting transparency and proper record-keeping and therefore all Government communication will now on take place via approved platforms like Microsoft Teams and email, while personal phones are also no longer allowed for work-related messaging.

The Covid inquiry had exposed gaps in how digital communications were handled, with claims that only informal messages were deleted.

Kate defended the government’s past actions but said updated policies were now necessary to ensure that all decisions are properly recorded and traceable.

On the other hand, opposition parties have criticized the move as too little, too late. The Scottish Conservatives and Liberal Democrats accused the Scottish National Party of destroying crucial information and failing to be accountable during the pandemic.

The UK Government has also faced similar criticism, with former Scottish Secretary Alister Jack admitting to deleting messages to free up phone storage.

The Scottish Government says all key decisions must be logged in official systems to avoid further issues.