Neprijetna potreba finančnih storitev po arhiviranju WhatsApp (Harriet Christie)

Septembra 2022 sta Komisija za vrednostne papirje (SEC) in Komisija za trgovanje z blagovnimi terminskimi pogodbami (CTFC) dosegli poravnave v skupni vrednosti približno 1.8 milijarde USD z

12 vodilnih investicijskih bank Wall Streeta. The prominent institutions, which included Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, were penalized for failing to monitor employees’ use of unauthorized messaging apps, like Whatsapp, with
colleagues and clients. 

The probe followed on from JP Morgan’s $200 million fine in December 2021, with the floodgates apparently opening. Authorities seem to have used that initial $200 million settlement figure as a yardstick for the industry, signifying the end of an unofficial
grace period afforded firms adapting to the pandemic.  

Such monumental penalties have of course had a seismic impact on the financial services landscape, with the repercussions reaching far beyond the behemoths evidently being made an example of. But how did we get to this stage, and how can firms address the
employee behaviors which are clearly no longer going to be tolerated?

Kaj je s WhatsAppom? 

SEC pooblašča that banks maintain records of all communication between clients and brokers. Private exchanges, like those occurring through WhatsApp,
are far more difficult to monitor, and the likelihood of data being compromised only increases as personal devices are introduced to the equation. 

It’s important to note that the issue here is not with WhatsApp itself; the same concerns apply with WeChat, Telegram, and other ‘ephemeral’ messaging apps. It is the difficulties in documenting communications on these encrypted platforms, and the subsequent
contravention of record-keeping requirements, that is problematic. 

Utrujenost telefonskega klica 

Until relatively recently, consumers had limited options available to them if they wanted to reach out to a regulated firm. To discuss their bank account, for instance, they’d need to either get on the phone or head over to their local branch for a personal
discussion. Now, they are able to communicate with the organization through a multitude of digital channels. 

To ni le možnost, ampak prednost. Med njimi so bili WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger in Telegram

največkrat prenesene aplikacije v prvem četrtletju 1, sam WhatsApp pa ima astronomsko
2 milijarde aktivnih uporabnikov po vsem svetu. Po navedbah
Forbes93 % ameriških potrošnikov želi komunicirati prek besedilnih sporočil, pri čemer se hitrost, enostavna uporaba in (potrošnikovo) poznavanje platform izkazujejo kot odločilne prednosti.  

To deluje v obe smeri; prav tako je za zaposlene lažje in učinkoviteje komunicirati z orodji, ki jih poznajo v vsakdanjem življenju, kot z orodji, ki jih zagotovi njihov delodajalec. 

Oddaljeni kanali 

Prekinitev pandemije Covid-19 je povzročila veliko večjo odvisnost od aplikacij za sporočanje, saj je bila fizična bližina, tudi s sodelavci, prepovedana. Leta 2019 je 68.1 milijona uporabnikov mobilnih telefonov v ZDA dostopalo do WhatsAppa za komunikacijo. Ta številka je predvidena za

leta 85.8 naraste na 2023 milijona uporabnikov. Stranski produkt tega zanašanja na nove digitalne kanale je bilo povečanje števila delavcev, ki so jih uporabljali

osebnih telefonov ali tablic za posel, ko so se meje začele brisati, poklicno in osebno življenje pa sta se prepletala. 

Employees are more likely to act casually when working remotely, whether that means taking longer breaks or messaging clients or colleagues through an unauthorized channel. Having allowed these communication habits to set in over a sustained period, they’re
now very difficult to shift back to a pre-Covid level, given the inherent convenience and usability that employees have become accustomed to. 

Plačilo računa 

JP Morgan's
200 milijonov dolarjev kazni decembra 2021 je bila prva pomembna kazen v preiskavi, ki je prizadela tudi zgoraj omenjenih ducat vodilnih investicijskih bank v višini 1.8 milijarde USD. Zatiranje SEC se je od takrat naprej širilo, tako kot Wall Street

velikani zasebnega kapitala so razkrili, da so v preiskavi.  

Delovala je tudi enota za pregon
poizvedbe about smaller Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) protocols for ‘off-channel’ business communications. RIAs are subject to the same regulations as the larger firms that were previously penalized, so while they may have been spared the ambush of
the initial investigations, they should be mindful that they’re in the regulators’ crosshairs nevertheless. 

Kaj zdaj? 

The situation leaves business leaders and compliance teams in a quandary. Should they sacrifice convenience and operational efficiency in the pursuit of compliance, banning messaging apps outright and instead relying on the tried and tested solutions of
email, phone calls and, to a lesser extent, social media? 

To je verjetno mamljiva možnost glede na ogromno izrečenih kazni. To je bil vsekakor bolj priljubljen pristop glede na to, da je julija 2022 pravkar

15 % finančnih podjetij je spremljalo WhatsApp. 

But it’s not quite that simple. Banning employees from using particular channels doesn’t necessarily mean that all risks are eliminated. The prohibition of helpful tools will probably lead to disgruntled employees and “compliance gaps” in the workplace.
The safer option is for business leaders to understand the platforms that employees and consumers prefer to use, then developing suitable policies accordingly.  

Ultimately, if employees want to use unauthorized apps, they will do so, unless a supervisory procedure is in place to police it correctly. This has had immense repercussions for the likes of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America et al, who have not succeeded with
this step, despite their resources.  

Ali je WhatsApp mogoče spremljati? 

Najprimernejša možnost tukaj je zagotovo opolnomočenje osebja, da uporablja platforme, s katerimi se najbolj počutijo, in zmanjša omejitve, kjer koli je to mogoče.  

To achieve compliance on encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, business leaders must ensure they can capture, preserve, and monitor conversations. This is easier said than done, and the process has historically been a source of great difficulty. However, in
recent years, new solutions have been developed specifically to tackle this emerging necessity.  

Much as they had previously for social media platforms, leading digital archiving vendors have built the technology to capture and archive communications data from apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Signal and Telegram. This rescues business leaders from the frustration
of having to choose between efficiency and compliance; both can now co-exist very peacefully. 

Crucially, firms can also allocate secondary numbers on personal devices, allowing employees to differentiate between business and non-work-related contacts, and capture pertinent data accordingly. This means that privacy can also be maintained despite heightened
levels of professional scrutiny. 

Bilo bi protiintuitivno, če bi prezrli naraščajoče povpraševanje po šifriranih aplikacijah za sporočanje na delovnem mestu. Na srečo podjetjem tega ni več treba.