Restricting use of WhatsApp Web and cloud services by civil servants crucial amidst privacy concerns: Sun Dong

Secretary for Innovation, Technology, and Industry, Sun Dong, stated on Tuesday that while the restriction on a range of cloud storage and instant messaging services might be inconvenient, he believes it is a necessary step to protect privacy and is confident that departments can find alternative methods.

This statement followed the government's announcement that civil servants must obtain authorization from department heads before using a range of cloud storage and instant messaging services, including WhatsApp Web and WeChat. This requirement is part of the new Government Information Technology Security Policy and Guidelines, which were updated in April.

The guidelines restrict civil servants from using personal emails, public cloud storage, and web-based instant messaging services on office computers due to security concerns. All departments were required to implement these measures by this month at the latest.

During a radio program today, Sun highlighted that the government had faced serious hacking incidents over the past year, creating a worrying situation. Consequently, the government looked to reference the methods used by other governments, such as those in mainland China and the United States, which have strict regulations on computer systems.

Sun acknowledged that these new changes might affect efficiency and external communications. However, he noted that mobile devices, such as smartphones, are not included in the restrictions and expressed belief that departments can find effective methods to overcome these difficulties.

The technology chief also commented on the progress of a locally developed generative artificial intelligence (AI) document processing copilot application. The application is currently used in about 10 departments and is expected to see full-scale deployment across all departments before the year's end.