THE Scottish Government is to end the use of WhatsApp on official devices following the publication of an externally-led review.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced the Government will end its use of the service and other non-official messaging applications by spring next year.
The Scottish Government was criticised when it emerged ministers and top civil servants deleted WhatsApp messages which had been requested by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
As a result of a review ordered by former first minister Humza Yousaf – who has announced he will be stepping down as an MSP in 2026 – the use of mobile messaging apps will come to an end.
On Tuesday, Forbes told MSPs: “One of the key questions asked in the review was around the use of mobile messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
“The report provides a clear recommendation in this regard. We have taken the decision to end the use of mobile messaging applications across the Scottish Government. This will happen by spring 2025.
“Government business should happen on Government systems which are secure, searchable and allow the appropriate sharing of information, in line with our statutory duties.
“Scottish Government ministers and staff will not be permitted to use WhatsApp, or any other non-corporate communications channel, to conduct Government business.
She also said the Government will produce “very clear guidelines” on what is permitted to ensure staff follow the new rules.
The Tories complained opposition MSPs were not given enough time to read the 94-page review written by Emma Martins as it was only published a few minutes before Forbes’s statement.
Forbes said there will be “robust training” on the use of mobile messaging applications.
In late 2023, lead counsel to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Jamie Dawson KC said most of the messages sent within the Scottish Government had been deleted.
It later transpired a number of senior members of the Government, including John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon, had deleted messages, though both stressed they did not relate to Government business.
Former national clinical director Jason Leitch was also criticised for describing deleting WhatsApp messages as a “pre-bed ritual”, while another senior clinician warned colleagues that messages could be published under freedom of information legislation.
The review, led by former Channel Islands data protection commissioner Emma Martins, was commissioned in January this year.
Martins has made 20 recommendations on different areas of corporate governance, including the values of the Scottish Government, learning and development process, recruitment procedures, records management and the use of mobile messaging apps.
The Scottish Government has also updated its Ministerial Code in changes John Swinney has called the “most significant” in 16 years.
Among the changes, independent advisers have been empowered with initiating investigations into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code when they feel it is warranted and without a direct referral from the First Minister.
