An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) into the use of messaging apps at the Department of Health has found a “lack of clear” controls and an increased use of platforms like WhatsApp.

The ICO said that this had the potential to lead to important information around the government’s response to the pandemic “being lost or insecurely handled”.

This included some protectively marked information being located in non-corporate or private accounts outside of the department’s official systems.

The regulator said that this demonstrated an oversight in the consideration of storage and retention of information.

While some ministers were regularly copying information to government accounts to maintain records, the ICO says there was a risk that this process was not always followed by everyone in the department.

The department also didn’t hold information about where personal data on third-party accounts were hosted as it does not manage third-party servers.

“I understand the value of instant communication that something like WhatsApp can bring, particularly during the pandemic where officials were forced to make quick decisions and work to meet varying demands,” said John Edwards, UK information commissioner. “However, the price of using these methods, although not against the law, must not result in a lack of transparency and inadequate data security.”

The commissioner added that ministers and officials in the department should be able to show their workings for both record keeping and to “maintain public confidence”.

The investigation found that the health department’s procedures did not meet Cabinet Office policy on the use of private email and had “significant gaps” based on how key individuals were working in practice.

This, said the ICO, presented risk to the effective handling of requests for information in line with the relevant codes of practice under the Freedom of Information Act.

Following the probe, the ICO has called for a government review into the risks associated with the use of private messaging channels like personal emails and WhatsApp.

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