1. Does Devon County Council operate any “official” Whats App groups, and if so, how many, and what departments.
Devon County Council does not recognise WhatsApp as an approved corporate communication tool. As such this information is not held.
2. Are staff allowed to utilise Whatsapp on Devon County Council systems, such as mobile phones.
As WhatsApp is not recognised an approved corporate communication tool, this information is not held.
3. Where WhatsApp is used, what precautions are taken to prevent information risks.
As WhatsApp is not recognised an approved corporate communication tool, this information is not held.
4. Does DCC hold a register of data breaches involving WhatsApp. If so, could DCC provide the information notes relating to the Data Breaches.
A register of all data breaches is confirmed to be held by DCC.
Information is not held relating to “investigation notes”. There is a formal chain of evidence that the Data Protection and Information Security Team use to produce an investigation report. This chain of evidence is then held in line with DCC’s Retention Schedule.
5. Where employees communicate officially or unofficially on WhatsApp, to persons who are not employed by DCC, how is that message recorded or documented.
As WhatsApp is not recognised an approved corporate communication tool, this information is not held.
6. Does DCC use WhatsApp to communicate to staff?
No.
7. How is WhatsApp managed on official IT systems. What policies are in place? For example does DCC IT prevent the downloading of the program WhatsApp to devices.
Devon County Council can confirm that we hold the information you have requested. However, we consider this information is exempt from disclosure on the grounds that Section 31(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies. The council considers that disclosure of the information you have requested would be likely to reveal information that could be used by a cyber threat actor to improve the chances of them targeting a successful cyber-attack against Devon County Council. Whilst we recognise that there is a public interest in openness and transparency around the management of the Council’s IT infrastructure, we consider that there is a stronger public interest in the council being able to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its IT infrastructure. For this reason, we consider that the balance of public interest is best served by withholding this information from disclosure at this time.