Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Boris Johnson gets summaries of sensitive government material via Facebook’s WhatsApp

Boris Johnson gets summaries of sensitive government material via Facebook’s WhatsApp

Boris Johnson gets details of vital government business sent to him via WhatsApp, court papers have revealed.

The material, from the PM's ministerial "red box", is sent to his phone for "administrative ease", officials say, and does not break the rules.

But campaigners challenging "government by WhatsApp" in the High Court say it is a security risk.

They claim the use of insecure apps and message deletion by ministers and officials is "rampant".

Campaigning law groups the Good Law Project and Foxglove are challenging the government's use of such services in the High Court, saying that it breaks the law on keeping public records.

The government says it has secure channels for exchanging sensitive information, and ministers are obliged to record important decision-making discussions with officials.

'Private device'


Documents released on the first of a three-day judicial review reveal:

* From November 2020 onwards, Boris Johnson has been sent a summary of "red box" material, including diary updates, via WhatsApp

* The PM and other senior ministers downloaded Signal - an app that can instantly delete messages - to their phones. Signal has now been removed from Mr Johnson's device and the No 10 app store

* At least one of the six Cabinet Office senior civil servants used Signal on their private device to communicate with colleagues

* No official record has been made of the WhatsApp messages screenshot by former aide Dominic Cummings, revealing March 2020 discussions about Covid

The screenshot messages, published by Mr Cummings on his blog, include discussions with the PM on the procurement of ventilators, testing in care homes, and Mr Johnson's description of then health secretary Matt Hancock as "hopeless".

No official record has been kept of these messages


It also emerged that all messages on Boris Johnson's phone were wiped in April 2021, after it emerged his number had been freely available on the internet for 15 years.

In a witness statement, the Cabinet Office's chief operating officer Sarah Harrison said: "In light of a well-publicised security breach, the prime minister implemented security advice relating to a mobile device. The effect was that historic messages were no longer available to search and the phone is not active."

'Thin air'


Legal campaigners say records of vital decision-making have been lost to the public record, which could undermine next year's inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic.

Cori Crider, director of Foxglove, said: "Our democracy can only work if the decisions of those who represent us are open to scrutiny.

"That can't happen if officials govern by secret WhatsApp chats that vanish into thin air."

Foxglove is bringing the case on behalf of non-profit media group The Citizens.

They say the government is potentially in breach of its own data security guidelines and 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.

The government argues that a record is kept of all substantive discussions and only ephemeral messages are deleted.

In her witness statement, Ms Harrison said: "In my view, it is not realistic to suggest that those working in government should refrain from interacting with one another online in the same way everyone else does, subject always to the compliance with government policy on the use of such tools and in line with information records management policy.

"This is particularly the case where teams are now much more dispersed - between home and the office as well as geographically."

The Foxglove and Good Law Project law suits started out as separate cases but the High Court decided to hear both of them together.

The government is expected to challenge the standing of the Good Law Project in court, after the High Court found against the organisation in a separate case in February.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
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
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×