In court tomorrow: government by WhatsApp – here’s how we got here
Tomorrow, All the Citizens, supported by Foxglove, is going to court. It’s a crucial day in our campaign to stop the government using “disappearing messages” on apps like Signal or WhatsApp so proper records of government discussions are kept.
The hearing is what’s called a ‘permission hearing’. It’s a key stage in the legal process. If permission is granted, the case will proceed to a substantive hearing where the arguments and evidence of both sides will be considered in full over the course of a few days.
We argue that the Public Records Act 1958 requires communications between politicians, officials and advisors about government business to be retained for review with key ones saved for historical archives.
Such communications should also be saved in case of future investigations, inquiries and court cases as well as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
All the Citizens is asking the court to rule that the government’s current approach to disappearing messages unlawful.
We’re hugely grateful for all the support we’ve received so far, including all the donations to fund this case and the thousands of signatures on our petition.
We’ll be in touch soon with news and analysis of how the hearing went. To make sure you’re among the first to get that update, and more about cases like this, subscribe to our mailing list by hitting the button below.