State Auditor Nicole Galloway today urged the five other statewide officials to join her in encouraging the legislature to strengthen the Missouri Sunshine Law by banning the use of self-deleting applications for public business. She did so in a letter sent today to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and Treasurer.
"Missourians expect government to be honest when conducting public business," Auditor Galloway wrote. "Banning self-destructing messaging by public entities, officials, and employees is another step to ensuring transparency, and is the best antidote to any perceived or actual government impropriety. It is not only a best practice, it is just good common sense."
Such a measure would be consistent with recent guidelines approved by the State Records Commission. The guidelines, which were adopted by a bipartisan vote, stated that the use of auto-deleting applications should be prohibited by policy. The State Records Commission membership includes the State Auditor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and the Governor's designees.
The Auditor noted that during the 2019 legislative session, legislation prohibiting the use of self-destructing messaging technology for use in public business was approved by the House. The measure then died in the Senate.
Auditor Galloway recently sent a letter to all local governments encouraging them to ban self-deleting applications. The letter included updated guidelines adopted by the State Records Commission and the Local Records Board related to electronic communications. The guidelines are the first time Missouri governments have had clear direction on self-deleting applications but, unlike the Sunshine Law, the guidelines are not legally enforceable.
The full letter to the other statewide elected officials is available here. The letter sent earlier this month to local governments throughout Missouri is available here.
5 comments:
Why should businesses be hamstrung by keeping old electronic records of their illegal activities? What is she thinking in asking for this? Maybe it is because it is the rampant misuse of so many aspects of business and politics in this state that something/someone needs to show the semblance of sanity and honesty. But I afraid that our state people take their lead from their national counterparts that feel it is business as usual in the illegal realm. Our state is nothing more than a reflection of our republican leadership and the boys having a good time on our dime/dollar/millions of buying their way into the network. Maybe Blunt/Graves/Long will be dyeing their hair orange for the upcoming election to show solidarity with the "great one".
Two step process to fix this problem!
#1 Stop using the phrases "self-deleting applications" and "self-destructing messaging technology."
#2 Start using the phrases "self-aborting applications" and "self-aborting messaging technology."
#3 Watch the heads of the many republicans who probably are using these types of things simply assplode.
Day 1 of the Galloway governorship. Gov. Galloway: "OK, fire up the SD app!"
Everything Galloway has done in office says she's working for the public, not other politicians. She has my vote.
Liberals are hurt so easily. Delicate little things. Precious. Simple. Danty. Fragile tiny things.
So cute when they lash out.
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