Don’t Delete Slack or Signal Chats, US Agencies Warn Companies

As more employees use instant messaging at work in lieu of email, federal antitrust enforcers issued a warning Friday: Companies under investigation must turn over those records.

The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission announced they are tweaking the language they send to companies under investigation to make clear they are required to preserve and turn over chats from platforms such as Salesforce Inc.’s Slack and ephemeral messaging apps like Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp and Signal. Failure to preserve those messages can lead to fines or potential criminal charges for document destruction, the agencies said.

The announcement comes ...