The Scottish government has decided to ditch unofficial messaging apps such as WhatsApp for official business, following an investigation into message deletions during the pandemic.

The Scottish government's decision to ban the use of WhatsApp and other unofficial messaging services on government mobile devices comes in response to the scandal over the deletion of messages during the pandemic. Deputy Prime Minister Kate Forbes emphasized that the measure will improve government transparency. Although the policy has come into force, some emergency teams will continue to use the apps until the end of the year. The government has acknowledged previous mistakes and is committed to strict rules on the retention and recording of relevant messages.