Text and instant messages as business records

Your organisation should have a clear policy or guidelines on when and how to save work-related text and instant messages in your recordkeeping system. This policy could be part of a broader policy about mobile devices or how to handle routine tasks, or it could be a stand-alone policy.

It should cover:

• what messaging platforms can be used to undertake work
• when it’s okay to use messages for work
• what kinds of messages are considered temporary and don’t need to be saved
• what kinds of messages must be saved in your recordkeeping system
• how to properly save messages as records.

Relying on text and instant messages for important work

Text and instant messages are great for quick communication, like telling a co-worker you’re running late. But for more important business, think twice about relying on messages alone, as messages may not meet your organisation’s needs for keeping accurate records or ensuring accountability.

Emails are often a better option than messages because they automatically include important details and can be easily saved in a recordkeeping system. For important matters, you could send an email first, followed by a message to remind someone to check their inbox. Alternatively, send a message first and follow up with an email.

Disadvantages to using text and instant messages as records

There are some downsides to using messages as official records, especially for long-term or important business.

• Security: It’s not always easy to confirm who sent or received a text or instant messages, and someone else might see the message if they shouldn’t have access to it.
• Context: Texts and chats are short and may not show the full picture of what’s being discussed. It can also be tricky to capture the whole conversation if you’re trying to save it for records.
• Retention of messages: Messaging apps like Signal that have the function to send messages that ‘disappear’ or are destroyed after a specified period need to have a risk assessment undertaken to ensure the use of the platform meets recordkeeping, GIPA or Privacy requirements. Different platforms for messages may be more appropriate than these types of platforms to demonstrate accountability of what messages were sent and received in the course of government business. Settings within these platforms may also be changed to retain the disappearing messages for a longer retention which may meet requirements.

Capturing and deleting text and instant messages as records

There are different ways to save messages in your recordkeeping system, depending on the devices you use and the importance of the message.

Here are a few options:

• Screen capture: Take a screenshot of the message and email it to your work account to be saved.
• File note: Write down what the message said and save it in the system.
• Bulk export: Use an app to download multiple messages into a file and email it to be saved.
• Third-party services: Some organisations use mobile device management (MDM) software to save texts directly into their recordkeeping system.

The method you choose should match how important and risky the work is. If a message is part of a major decision or provides evidence of an important action, you’ll need to make sure it’s recorded properly by ensuring metadata is connected to the record to provide appropriate context and can be trusted as a record.

The State Records Regulation 2024 provides rules on when you can delete text or instant messages as part of normal administrative practice.

However, if a message has lasting value – because of its administrative, legal or historical importance to your office – you can’t delete it. You must judge the value of the message based on what it says and why it was sent, not just because it’s a text or instant messages and apply the appropriate retention period to the message which may require the message to be captured.

See example below of text messages that would and wouldn’t be required to be saved into a records management system.