THE SCOTTISH Government has removed WhatsApp and other messaging apps from official devices.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced the move on Friday, following an externally led review that concluded in December 2024.
The new policy means that all Scottish Government employees will now not be allowed to install WhatsApp or other similar messaging platforms on government devices.
This rule will apply to ministers, special advisors, senior civil servants, and contractors working for the Scottish Government.
Several Government agencies and departments will be allowed a “transition period” until the end of 2025.
The review was led by former Channel Islands data protection commissioner Emma Martins.
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.
“We are setting out a clear approach to ending government use of mobile messaging apps, and this will support wider work to deliver on our commitment to openness and transparency,” Forbes said.
“This follows on from actions to implement other recommendations from Ms Martins’ externally-led review including updating our hybrid working policy.
“I want to reassure the public that it is a priority of this government to maintain secure and searchable data, ensuring compliance with all records management rules. We will continue to act to ensure our data policies are robust, especially considering technological advances.”
In response to a written question in the Scottish Parliament, Forbes set out the departments and agencies that will be allowed to use mobile messaging apps until the end of the year.
This includes agencies Forestry and Land Scotland, Science Advice for Scottish Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Food Standards Scotland.
Departments include the Rural Payments and Inspection Directorate, communication staff, news staff only, “for communications purposes”, Culture and External Affairs Directorate, EU Directorate and the Directorate of International Trade and Investment.
Forbes said certain organisations had “no practical alternative” during emergencies, such as tackling wildfires, communicating with the media or “overseas operational tasks”.
It comes after WhatsApp messages deleted by ministers and officials during the Covid-19 pandemic were raised by the subsequent inquiry.
Jamie Dawson KC, lead counsel to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, previously 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.
