The Department of Health has been formally reprimanded, and the government warned that its use of WhatsApp has 'the potential to lead to important information around the government’s response to the pandemic being lost or insecurely handled'.
In particular it found that that the Department of Health's"policies and procedures were inconsistent with Cabinet Office policy on the use of private email... and had some significant gaps based on how key individuals were working in practice.
"This presented a risk of the effective handling of requests for information in line with the relevant codes of practice under [the Freedom of Information Act ]." The data watchdog, which is responsible for upholding the FOI Act, has issued the Department of Health with a formal order demanding that it to improve how it responds to information requests.
The department was also reprimanded and told to"improve its processes and procedures around the handling of personal information through private correspondence channels and ensure information is kept secure". "To make sure wider lessons are learnt, the ICO is also calling for the government to set up a separate review into the use of these channels," it said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
App recreates wall which divided medieval NottinghamUsing augmented reality, the app shows how the city was divided between Normans and Anglo-Saxons.
Read more »
'Uber Files': Huge leak of confidential documents blows open murky background of ride-hailing appAfter combing 124,000 leaked documents, investigative journalists have accused the tech giant of using a 'kill switch' to stop authorities from seizing evidence and lobbying officials to drop investigations.
Read more »
Preston cocktail bar with 'chill vibe' where everyone loves a server called TomIt has only five star reviews and has impressed since opening
Read more »
Nottingham maternity crisis: Are voices finally being heard?Does the latest review offer families the hope of finally having their voices heard?
Read more »