Many businesses have started utilizing WhatsApp as their primary messaging platform, but it is important to note that regulatory bodies still require an archiver for compliance. You may have noticed the archive WhatsApp chat feature introduced on the application, but how will this affect compliance? Keep reading to find out.
What is the Archive Feature for?
You might archive a chat in WhatsApp because you want to keep it hidden from your primary inbox. Why would you hide conversations? For one thing, that particular chat may contain non-public data or sensitive information that must never make it to the hands of unauthorized people.
Other purposes of the archive may include the following:
- Silence active group chats – if your phone is constantly bombarded with notifications from new messages on active chat groups, you can keep your inbox quiet by archiving them temporarily.
- Organize your chats and conversations–is your WhatsApp inbox cluttered with inactive conversations you seldom pass by but do not want to delete? Keeping them around can be messy. Keep your inbox organized by archiving unimportant chats.
- Keep your chats private and safe from snooping–another function of the WhatsApp archive feature is to keep your conversation confidential. If a particular chat contains sensitive information, you can keep it archived to deter snoopers.
The archive feature does not delete the conversation or backup on the device’s storage. If your company is concerned with privacy, WhatsApp’s archive is a handy tool.
How to Archive a Chat
If you are using WhatsApp for the first time or are unfamiliar with the feature, these are the following steps to archiving a chat on the messaging platform.
- Open the WhatsApp application
- Select an individual or group chat you wish to archive
- Tap and hold on the selected chat and click on the downward arrow to archive it
The Impact of the WhatsApp Archive Feature on Regulatory Compliance
While the archive feature is useful in some cases, this may violate regulatory compliance. Archiving does not create any backups of the hidden chats – unless the company is using software to capture those messages, you might catch the attention of regulatory bodies such as SEC, FINRA, FRCP, and HIPAA and face legal consequences.
So what should you do?
You do not necessarily have toavoid using the archive feature as long as you have a useful third-party tool, such as LeapXpert’s message archiver, to keep track of all conversations. Using their archiver, you can keep backups on the device’s SD card, archive all conversations, export chats as PDF copies, and maintain compliance.
If you are interested in an effective third-party WhatsApp archiver, get in touch with LeapXpert today.
