Information commish calls for ban on instant messaging within federal government

OTTAWA - Widespread use of instant messaging in the federal government is threatening Canadians’ rights to access to information, says Canada’s information watchdog in a report tabled in the House of Commons on November 28. And unless the Conservatives develop a consistent, government-wide policy that requires instant messages be saved on central servers for a reasonable period of time, the functionality should be disabled on all government-issued mobile devices.The report, Access to Information at Risk from Instant Messaging, presents the findings of a study into the instant messaging practices and policies in 11 federal government departments and ministerial offices. It...