Staffers use of Signal, WhatsApp sparks information integrity fears
Public servants are becoming increasingly uneasy with political staffers using encrypted messaging apps.
A leaked text message from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office last month sparked a flurry of speculation that Australians will head to the polls by Christmas.
The message, from Albanese’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell and reported by news.com.au, announced the imminent arrival of his new principal private secretary “as we enter an election year” to his office.
Yet while Labor frontbenchers were forced to tamp down speculation of an early vote, the fact the message was sent on encrypted messaging app Signal, and timed to self-destruct soon after being read, raised eyebrows within the public service.
The rampant use of encrypted apps by political staffers – particularly when messages are set on timers – poses serious questions about Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) system and the ability for the National Archives (NA) to properly record history.
