Friday, March 15, 2024
Those missing WhatsApp messages in Wales
Was it inevitable that Welsh First Ministerial contender, Vaughan Gething would lose all his WhatsApp messages when he upgraded his phone? Apparently, not.
Nation Cymru reports that the very suggestion has riled up the Senedd's Presiding Officer, who has pointed out that ahead of an upgrade in 2022, MSs were “advised” to back-up any data on phones and were offered support to do this.
The Senedd Commission added in a statement that WhatsApp is “not managed or supported” by the Commission’s ICT Service:
Despite initially denying using the messaging app, evidence which emerged this week showed that Mark Drakeford was in a specific messaging group with Mr Gething.
The Inquiry was shown Welsh Government advice, which said that “any and all” official business conducted through personal mobiles and email must be “summarised and saved”.
Mr Gething accepted that, having now looked into the rules “in much more detail” he should not have used the messages in the way he did.
During First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday (March 12), presiding officer Elin Jones appeared to defend Senedd staff saying lost data was not down to the ICT department.
Her comments came following questions from leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd group, Andrew RT Davies who pressed the First Minister on Senedd protocols regarding ministers phones.
Mr Davies said: “The economy minister highlighted how it was embarrassing that data was lost because the Senedd IT department lost that data when they were upgrading his phone.
“And you’ve alluded to the fact that you’ve used your Senedd device to have exchanges on WhatsApp – how the protocols that the Welsh Government work to in retention of information reaches into devices that are provided by the Senedd.
“Surely there’s a discrepancy there, and, if it doesn’t get captured by the protocols that the Welsh Government undertakes, how on earth can people have confidence that important information is contained and held ready for descriptions and evidence in the Covid inquiry or other inquiries that might require that information?”
At the end of Mr Davies’ weekly slot to quiz Mark Drakeford, the Llywydd, who’s job it is to chair Plenary meetings and remain politically impartial at all times, interjected.
Elin Jones, Y Llywydd | Presiding Officer, AS | MS by Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament
She said: “I am responsible for the Senedd Commission staff, and I’m sure the leader of the opposition did not seek to imply any criticism of the ICT Senedd staff, in his questioning of the First Minister, on any data that was lost by the ICT department.
“Software updates are very complex and have consequences on all our devices, and it was most definitely not as a result of the Senedd ICT department that the data was lost. So, any criticism of the staff of that department, I’m sure you did not imply that.”
We contacted the Llywydd’s office and asked for clarity on whether the messages were on Mr Gething’s phone when it was handed in to the Senedd for maintenance.
A spokesperson for the Senedd Commission said: “In April 2022, an upgrade to our security protection on Member phones was rolled out. Ahead of the upgrade, Members and their offices were contacted and advised to back-up any data on the phone including non-supported applications. Members were also offered support to do this, if needed.
“Members are able to download any application to their Senedd provided phone. The Senedd Commission facilitates this, but any application which falls outside of Microsoft 365 is not managed or supported by the Commission’s ICT Service. Non-supported application.
Actually, none of this story of lost WhatsApp messages makes much sense to me. It is, as pointed out in the article, perfectly possible to back up messages so that they're not lost. You can also download WhatsApp to your computer, which I do regularly for the convenience of having a larger keyboard to work on and to download attachments.
But also it's not clear which phone Gething had his WhatsApp messages on. Was it actually his Senedd phone, as these devices are not on the government secure information network? MInisters are required to use devices issued to them by the government. Was it that phone which swallowed his messages?
And if he was using a non-secured phone for government business, is that a breach of the ministerial code? I ask because I don't know. Either way losing this valuable dialogue was an act of unforgiveable carelessness.
Nation Cymru reports that the very suggestion has riled up the Senedd's Presiding Officer, who has pointed out that ahead of an upgrade in 2022, MSs were “advised” to back-up any data on phones and were offered support to do this.
The Senedd Commission added in a statement that WhatsApp is “not managed or supported” by the Commission’s ICT Service:
Despite initially denying using the messaging app, evidence which emerged this week showed that Mark Drakeford was in a specific messaging group with Mr Gething.
The Inquiry was shown Welsh Government advice, which said that “any and all” official business conducted through personal mobiles and email must be “summarised and saved”.
Mr Gething accepted that, having now looked into the rules “in much more detail” he should not have used the messages in the way he did.
During First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday (March 12), presiding officer Elin Jones appeared to defend Senedd staff saying lost data was not down to the ICT department.
Her comments came following questions from leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd group, Andrew RT Davies who pressed the First Minister on Senedd protocols regarding ministers phones.
Mr Davies said: “The economy minister highlighted how it was embarrassing that data was lost because the Senedd IT department lost that data when they were upgrading his phone.
“And you’ve alluded to the fact that you’ve used your Senedd device to have exchanges on WhatsApp – how the protocols that the Welsh Government work to in retention of information reaches into devices that are provided by the Senedd.
“Surely there’s a discrepancy there, and, if it doesn’t get captured by the protocols that the Welsh Government undertakes, how on earth can people have confidence that important information is contained and held ready for descriptions and evidence in the Covid inquiry or other inquiries that might require that information?”
At the end of Mr Davies’ weekly slot to quiz Mark Drakeford, the Llywydd, who’s job it is to chair Plenary meetings and remain politically impartial at all times, interjected.
Elin Jones, Y Llywydd | Presiding Officer, AS | MS by Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament
She said: “I am responsible for the Senedd Commission staff, and I’m sure the leader of the opposition did not seek to imply any criticism of the ICT Senedd staff, in his questioning of the First Minister, on any data that was lost by the ICT department.
“Software updates are very complex and have consequences on all our devices, and it was most definitely not as a result of the Senedd ICT department that the data was lost. So, any criticism of the staff of that department, I’m sure you did not imply that.”
We contacted the Llywydd’s office and asked for clarity on whether the messages were on Mr Gething’s phone when it was handed in to the Senedd for maintenance.
A spokesperson for the Senedd Commission said: “In April 2022, an upgrade to our security protection on Member phones was rolled out. Ahead of the upgrade, Members and their offices were contacted and advised to back-up any data on the phone including non-supported applications. Members were also offered support to do this, if needed.
“Members are able to download any application to their Senedd provided phone. The Senedd Commission facilitates this, but any application which falls outside of Microsoft 365 is not managed or supported by the Commission’s ICT Service. Non-supported application.
Actually, none of this story of lost WhatsApp messages makes much sense to me. It is, as pointed out in the article, perfectly possible to back up messages so that they're not lost. You can also download WhatsApp to your computer, which I do regularly for the convenience of having a larger keyboard to work on and to download attachments.
But also it's not clear which phone Gething had his WhatsApp messages on. Was it actually his Senedd phone, as these devices are not on the government secure information network? MInisters are required to use devices issued to them by the government. Was it that phone which swallowed his messages?
And if he was using a non-secured phone for government business, is that a breach of the ministerial code? I ask because I don't know. Either way losing this valuable dialogue was an act of unforgiveable carelessness.
