One of the UK’s largest banks has banned its employees from using instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger. NatWest had previously encouraged employees to only use “approved channels” but now went a step further, preventing employees from accessing messaging apps from company-owned devices.
WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are encrypted but can also be configured to disappear or be difficult to recover. However, financial institutions must comply with record-keeping requirements and make communications retrievable.
“Like many businesses, we only permit the use of approved channels for communication about business matters, whether internally or externally,” a NatWest statement acknowledged. The Financial Conduct Authority is reportedly paying particular attention to the issue of unmonitored communications, urging NatWest to follow the rules and take steps to protect itself.
The rules are intended to prevent abuse and fraud in the market, but the use of third-party messaging apps makes enforcement more difficult, especially given that more people are working from home. The bank still offers WhatsApp to contact customers and to provide support for banking queries, but the platform is banned for internal communications.
Previously, Morgan Stanley was hit with a huge fine of around £5.5 million after Ofgem found the bank had breached communications records rules after employees used WhatsApp for transactional communications. Many Brits will remember the recent COVID-19 inquiry that revealed “industry-wide” mass deletion of WhatsApp messages by government ministers and officials.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the inquiry he lost around 5,000 messages that will never be restored. This is just one example of how third-party (and politicians’) messaging apps can’t be trusted.
