Dear Ministry of Defence,

Following the story of the US administration’s use of the app Signal I am interested in learning more about the MoD's use of the app, and phone communication in general.

Are there policies in place to regulate the downloading of third party apps such as Signal?

What security measures are in place to encrypt information that is sent from one MoD mobile device to another?


What happens if a MoD mobile device is lost?

How often are MoD mobile devices replaced?



I expect that communication regularly takes place between the Secretary of Defence, the Director-General of the GCSB and the Director-General of NZSIS. 
How many phones calls were made/received so far in 2025?



How many text messages were sent/received? Is it possible to have the text messages, or to be advised what the subject matter was about?



I am interested in all text messages/ iMessages / WhatApp messages / Signal messages between Secretary Barrington and the Minister of Defence, so far in 2025.

I understand that for security reasons you may not be able to release all the information to me. But I appreciate you considering my request.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Ituma