US government agencies are no stranger to archiving and auditing. Multiple regulations, including OMB Circular A-130, NARA Regulations, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the Federal Records Act, mandate these practices. As these laws have been in place for decades across many jurisdictions, public services have long-established processes for archiving communications that may be called upon in an audit.
This process generally worked well when employees used centrally governed email or UC platforms like Teams, but that changed as mobile-first messaging took over.
Messaging channels like SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp and Signal are now common in public sector communications - as seen in recent stories involving US officials - because they allow quick and seamless messaging. But as Avi Pardo, Co-founder & CBO of LeapXpert, explains, “these messaging platforms were never designed for public sector use”, meaning they lack the governance controls necessary to properly record and archive communication.
The result is that public sector organizations of all sizes are generating an increasing amount of critical information that cannot be retrieved for legal requests, leaving them open to regulatory fines and legal action.
Yet modern governance platforms make it possible to harness the strengths of these messaging apps and close the compliance gap without forcing workers to change how they communicate.
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Why Workers Use Consumer Messaging and Why That Creates Risk
Public sector organizations have relied on email and UC platforms for communication trails for decades because they provide controlled and auditable channels. Messages are captured automatically, stored in centralized systems, and remain searchable for compliance, legal or eDiscovery requests. Governance is built into the infrastructure.
With the blossoming of consumer messaging apps, staff found they could improve their workflow by using these tools as part of their communication setup.
Pardo explains:
"These consumer messaging applications have become very convenient and part of the day-to-day interactions that employees have, especially when they need to communicate with external parties,"
For workers managing time-sensitive issues or coordinating with people outside traditional office environments, these tools offer faster, more direct conversations that revolutionize their work.
The problem is that by opening up their communications beyond the email or UC platform, users leave behind the compliance features that made them governable. Consumer messaging apps offer convenience, but they lack the centralized archiving, audit trails, and administrative controls that their approved setups provide.
All communication on these consumer messaging platforms is still subject to the same regulatory requirements, including FOIA, MB Circular A-130, NARA Regulations, and the Federal Records Act. But they lack the archiving capabilities needed to fulfil them.
One response to close this compliance gap is to regulate use of these consumer communication tools. Pardo explains that organizations try to “reassure themselves by putting policies in place that they can ban the usage of consumer messaging.” Yet usage continues because the tools offer too much convenience to be eliminated by policy alone.
