NatWest blocks messaging apps for work communications

NatWest has blocked WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype on company devices in the UK, telling employees that they must use ‘approved channels’ to communicate with each other.

The bank has blocked access to the platforms on work phones and computers amid concerns that messages sent through them are not always fully retrievable.

WhatsApp messages are encrypted and can be set to disappear, for example, while messages sent through approved business channels are more likely to be transparent and retrievable.

In a statement, the company said: “Like many organisations, we only permit the use of approved channels for communicating about business matters, whether internally or externally.” The measure has been in place for a number of weeks.

In August, it was reported that banking regulator the Financial Conduct Authority is considering a probe into how employees in the sector use messaging services.

The FCA issued banks with a survey about how their staff use encrypted messaging services and whether this had impacted risk levels.

Banks in the US have received fines over record-keeping rules after workers were unable to retrieve old messages. For example, in 2022, HSBC Holdings was investigated by US regulators to ensure employees’ use of such platforms was appropriate.

And in 2021, JPMorgan Chase received a $200 million fine for failing to keep track of employees’ use of private apps and personal emails.

Here in the UK, Ofgem fined Morgan Stanley £5.4 million last year for failing to record and retain electronic trading communications after traders used WhatsApp to communicate about wholesale energy trading.

Staff at NatWest have been advised for several years not to use certain channels to discuss business matters, but have not been prohibited from doing so.

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