Can we use WhatsApp in our school or sports club?

Can we use WhatsApp in our school or sports club?

WhatsApp is a highly effective communication tool. It is simple yet powerful, enabling users to share information instantly, wherever they are. For many of us it has become indispensable in our personal lives.

However, WhatsApp is not suitable for professional use, particularly where this involves children. Organisations such as schools and sports clubs must safeguard the children in their care. This includes being responsible for their data. WhatsApp does not enable this, and specifically excludes non-personal use in its terms of service.

Firstly, this is because end-to-end encryption used in WhatsApp means that data is only stored on sending and receiving devices. The users of these devices become responsible for managing this data, not the school or sports club. This breaches GDPR, as the organisation is responsible for personal data and must therefore retain full control of it.

Secondly, with WhatsApp there is no central record of communication. Messages are dispersed across devices, with no single point of access. Schools and sports clubs must have the ability to review a full record of communications at any time. This is impossible under a dispersed system.

Finally, WhatsApp shares phone numbers with all group members. This breaches GDPR, unless all devices belong to the organisation. In addition, it compromises user welfare, by giving direct access to any member of the organisation at any time. If staff or volunteers are required to communicate with children, this is not just a privacy issue, it is a safeguarding breach.

The solution is to use a messaging app that is centrally controlled by your school or sports club. ChatPro is one such system. It resolves the three issues outlined above through its intuitive, user-friendly platform, and is developed, managed and supported in the UK. Please contact us if you would like further details, or you can try ChatPro for free for yourself.