Stephanie Foster, secretary of the Australian department of home affairs, confirmed her use of Signal, an encrypted messaging app, with disappearing messages enabled under certain conditions. Her admission comes amidst global scrutiny on officials' use of such apps after a recent US incident involving government chats on operational details. Despite Signal's privacy features, Foster assured compliance with record-keeping duties, utilising the app for non-sensitive tasks like setting meetings.

During Senate estimates, Foster and Charlotte Tressler, the department’s COO, discussed departmental policies on encrypted app use. There is no outright ban on disappearing messages within the department, but staff are reminded of their record-keeping and freedom of information (FoI) responsibilities. Foster reiterated her awareness and adherence to these obligations.

Recent investigations by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the National Archives examined the use of encrypted apps within government agencies. Out of 22 agencies surveyed, 16 allowed app use for work, yet only eight had relevant policies. The findings highlighted potential record keeping and risk management issues, stressing that agencies must uphold their obligations irrespective of communication tools used.

The increasing focus on secure communication reflects broader concerns about data security and operational transparency in governmental processes.

- CyberBeat