Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 22, 2025

Legal challenge to ‘government by WhatsApp’

Legal challenge to ‘government by WhatsApp’

The government is facing a High Court challenge over its use of WhatsApp and instant messaging.

Official guidelines have emerged which say ministers must ensure instant messages on an internal system are deleted.

Transparency campaigners say this is "unlawful" and have secured a judicial review of the rules.

Ministers are banned from using WhatsApp and private email for discussing government business.

But Cori Crider, director of campaigning law group Foxglove, told BBC News the rules were clearly not being followed and were incoherent.

"This is the first case of its kind, and it raises a critical issue in modern government. We're doing this to defend the integrity of our public debate. We can't learn from history if the evidence has vanished into thin air."

The group has argued that using messaging systems that allow texts to be deleted violated the Public Records Act of 1958, which requires legal checks to be made on messages in case they need to be kept for the public interest.

It also represented a threat to the integrity of our public record and Freedom of Information laws, campaigners said.

The Cabinet Office said it did not comment on specific legal cases.

A spokesman added: "Ministers will use a range of modern forms of communication for discussions, in line with legislative requirements, and taking into account government guidance."

But Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said ministers "must not govern by private messages that are then deleted", adding: "This is completely undemocratic and an attack on transparency and accountability."

'Switched off'


Ministers' use of private email, text and messaging services has been at the centre of growing concerns in recent months.

Some of Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages were revealed by Dominic Cummings, as the prime minister's former chief adviser sought to expose shortcomings in the government's handling of the Covid crisis.

But these had apparently been captured in screen shots by Mr Cummings. WhatsApp messages can be set to self-delete.

It has now emerged in documents released by the High Court that ministers and officials are told to ensure their internal Google chat instant message chats are deleted.

A confidential Cabinet Office guidance document from February this year said: "Instant messaging is provided to all staff and should be used in preference to email for routine communications where there is no need to retain a record of the communication.

"Instant message history in individual and group chats must be switched off and should not be retained once a session is finished.

"If the content of an instant message is required for the record or as an audit trail, a note for the record should be created and the message content saved in that.

"For example, written up in an email or in a document created in a word processor which is itself saved into the relevant drive."

'Dangerous'


Foxglove, which is bringing the case on behalf of the claimants - non-profit media group the Citizens - said there was no evidence of officials ever following this procedure, and that the rules were "all over the place".

Clara Maguire, director of the Citizens, said Tuesday's select committee report into the government's handling of the pandemic showed a "culture of secrecy contributed to tens of thousands of excess deaths".

"We believe this case goes to the very heart of this problem and we look forward to proving government by WhatsApp is not only dangerous but also unlawful," she added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
×