MOD responds to reports troops are banned from WhatsApp

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has denied that British Army soldiers have been asked to delete WhatsApp.

It follows reports suggesting there are fears of Russia hacking the mobile messaging app.

An MOD spokesperson said: "We are not asking personnel to delete WhatsApp from their work phones and the advice is not linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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"Alternative messaging apps can be more appropriate for work-related communication due to different types of security settings."

The MOD highlights the use of an instant messaging service called Signal as an alternative option for personnel.

The department says secure communications are always used at higher security classifications, adding that this is not a new policy.

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre said: "Our long-standing advice has been to not use WhatsApp to discuss sensitive national security matters.

"This guidance has not changed and is unrelated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine."

Whatsapp's website says: "We built end-to-end encryption into the latest versions of our app.

"When end-to-end encrypted, your messages and calls are secured so only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to them, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp."

Article cover image: Picture: Clare/Stockimo/Alamy Stock Photo. Video thumbnail image: Igor Stevanovic/Alamy Stock Photo.