Start with task and risk
Map roles, processes, channels and situations in which relevant public information can arise.
Knowledge route | Business messages
Control WhatsApp and chat messages across your organisation
Your organisation does not need to retain every message indefinitely, but it must be able to explain which information matters and why it is managed, blocked, destroyed or transferred. Business messages may fall within Dutch freedom-of-information and archival duties. BronVast brings risk, context, appraisal, access, holds and destination together in one accountable route.
Messages
Secure context
An isolated line without participants, time, replies, attachments and process relationships may lose its meaning.
Decide with authority and evidence
Appraisal, disclosure, holds, destruction and transfer remain decisions of the authorised organisation.
From source package to accountable destination
Information value
does the message relate to a public task?
Risk
which roles, processes and events require greater control?
Capture
which lawful export or capture output is available?
Context
participants, time, attachments, case and process
Assessment
appraisal framework, access, privacy and holds
Destination
manage, destroy or transfer under control
Format does not make information unimportant
Business information may arise in WhatsApp, SMS, Signal, Teams or another messaging environment. Content, context and the relationship with organisational action matter more than the application brand.
- define working arrangements for business and private devices
- connect roles and processes to risk
- record responsibility and escalation
- allow for changing export and capture capabilities
Not retaining everything is also sound records management
A defensible approach combines risk analysis with applicable appraisal frameworks. Process, key-role and hotspot methods may coexist; an active FOI, investigation or dispute hold may temporarily block destruction.
- document the appraisal route used
- separate proposal, decision and execution
- prevent destruction under an active block
- record exceptions and departures
Capture does not resolve the archival question
After capture, provenance, integrity, relationships, metadata, access and destination still require design. BronVast Messages therefore starts with a lawfully obtained source package and exposes every derivation and human decision.
- keep source files unchanged
- use manifests and SHA-512 for verification
- separate source values from derived proposals
- test the receiving DMS, RMA or e-depot profile in advance
What your organisation receives
Who acts, when and why
Roles, channels, exceptions, capture and escalation in one executable route.
From export to understandable information
Source registration, reconstruction, metadata, human review and visible uncertainty.
Control through to destination
Holds, appraisal, accountable destruction and controlled transfer.
Reference points
These references show the professional basis for our choices. The requirements that apply in practice are determined with you from your situation, responsibilities and receiving environment.
Questions about this route
Must a public body retain every WhatsApp message?
No. Information value, risk, applicable appraisal frameworks and exceptions determine which information must be managed and for how long.
Is a screenshot sufficient?
A screenshot may help in a specific situation but does not automatically retain all provenance, relationships, attachments, events and technical metadata that may be required.
Can 2dA extract messages directly from every application?
No. 2dA starts with a lawfully obtained export or agreed capture output and profiles the concrete source variant before promising processing.
Next step
Start with evidence, not assumptions
A first engagement can be limited to one lawful source package, one process and one receiving profile.