rewrite this title The Compliance Crisis: Why the Public Sector Can’t Ignore WhatsApp and Signal

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. 

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.    

Forcing government officials to use only email or traditional UC platforms creates friction, delays responses, and damages relationships. A better approach is to allow workers to use the tools they need while making those communications compliant. 

How Governance Platforms Bring Consumer Messaging Under Control 

Until recently, governing consumer messaging apps was nearly impossible. These platforms operated as closed ecosystems with no API access or integration pathways. That has begun to change, as WhatsApp, Signal, and others now allow APIs to integrate themselves into a company’s communication infrastructure. 

Solutions like LeapXpert’s demonstrate how this can be used to bring enterprise-grade compliance to consumer messaging. The platform, as Pardo describes, sits “between the organization and the external messaging application.” By intercepting communications at this layer, LeapXpert’s solution can collect, capture, and route data to the appropriate place in real time before messages reach their destination. 

With everything going through LeapXpert’s platform, all messages, whether they are being sent through a front-end extension on a UC platform like Microsoft Teams or on Signal, can be routed to the organization’s archiving, surveillance, eDiscovery, and records management systems. 

Beyond data capture, connecting a governance solution to these consumer messaging channels allows administrators to enforce controls that were previously impossible. With this governance layer, organizations can define who is authorized to communicate on these platforms, what types of content can be shared, and which external parties are approved for contact. These controls operate in real time and prevent other issues related to public sector data governance, such as sensitive data breaches. 

By allowing all communications to be fully governed – defining who can do what on which channel – and ensuring everything is captured and archived, organizations can turn shadow IT and non-approved channels into enterprise-grade channels ready for government use. 

Combined, this architecture allows public sector organizations to close the archiving gap, increase visibility, and governance of these consumer channels while keeping them open for workers to stay productive. 

Closing the Gap Before the Next Audit 

The gap between governed UC platforms and ungoverned consumer messaging is no longer inevitable. Public sector organizations have spent years making their communications infrastructure compliant, and modern governance platforms extend that compliance to messaging without eliminating convenience. 

Organizations that continue to rely on acceptable use policies and bans face growing risk. Usage continues regardless of policy, and shadow IT environments emerge. When the next legal request arrives, these organizations will be unable to produce complete records, risking fines and reputational damage. 

The alternative is straightforward. Governance platforms allow public sector workers to communicate on the platforms they need while making those communications compliant. Organizations gain visibility into previously ungoverned channels, enforce policies in real time, and integrate messaging data with existing compliance systems all the while keeping the speed these consumer messaging apps bring.