Manage Your Instant Messages

• What is deleted automatically?

  Messages older than 15 days in one-to-one, group and chats generated from meetings.

• What is NOT deleted automatically?

  • Conversation posts in a Microsoft Team Channel.
  • Files shared in all types of chats remain in their source location (OneDrive or SharePoint) after a message is deleted.
  • Meeting Notes created in a meeting in Microsoft Teams.
• What will I see after the messages are deleted automatically?

  • In an active chat session, only messages that are older than 15 days are deleted and the chat sessions remains active and visible in your Chat Activity List.
  • If the entire chat session is inactive for more than 15 days, it is hidden in your Chat Activity List.
  • Microsoft adds a notification to your chat session when it deletes a message. For additional information, visit Retention policies in Microsoft Teams.
• How do I view a hidden chat session?

  • You can view a hidden chat session.
    • Search for a participants name or the group or meeting chat (only applicable if the chat session had been given a name).
    • Note there will not be any chat messages in the chat session.
• Are instant messages subject to Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) and litigation requests?

  • Yes.
  • Content shared in instant messaging platforms are subject to ATIP and litigation.
  • Do not delete content that is related to an existing ATIP or litigation request. Transfer to a corporate repository to ensure that it is safeguarded and managed.
• How do I save information of business value outside of Chat?

  1. Select the chat message that you want to save from Microsoft Teams.
  2. Press Ctrl C with your keyboard or right click with your mouse and select Copy
  3. Open a Microsoft Word document
  4. Press Ctlr V with your keyboard or right click with your mouse and select Paste
  5. Save the document to your corporate repository
• What happens to the files I have uploaded in a message that get deleted?

  • Files shared in a chat session remain in their source location – either the sender's OneDrive or in a SharePoint library.
  • Note that when a sender uploads a file from their personal drive in the Chat feature in Teams, it is automatically saved in their OneDrive.
  • Best practice is to use links to files saved in a corporate repository (SharePoint, network drive) to ensure that everyone is collaborating from the authoritative source.
  • To learn more about sharing links in Teams, contact your Branch/Region IM Lead/Broker.

  Note – The “Files” tab found by default in chats is only a collection of “shortcuts” or document links shared within a chat and not the documents themselves. When a chat message with a shared document is deleted, the “shortcut” or rather file link is also removed from the Files tab. The document itself will remain accessible in its original location (e.g. sender’s OneDrive or corporate repository).

  Tip - To maintain links in a Files tab, share files in a team channel.

• Where can I get more information about Chats and Teams?

  Visit the Microsoft Teams page on iService for more information.

The type of mobile device will influence the capabilities with regards to the automated deletion of instant messages.

For more information on using BBME, visit the BBME User Guide on iService.

• What gets automatically deleted and is it recoverable?

  Each individual message disappears from within the chat. Messages are not recoverable once they expire.

• How will I know that the message has been automatically deleted?

  • Individual messages within a chat are automatically removed once they expire. The chat itself remains.
  • A message indicates on the main chat window that the "Previous messages have expired".
• Could the automatic deletion of the chat message have a negative impact on anything else in the BBME software (meetings messages, etc.)?

  There is no impact on scheduled meetings, etc.

• Are files saved to the chat automatically deleted as well?

  All files uploaded inside of the chat expire based on policy.

• How do I copy the chat message to a designated storage repository from BBME?

  1. Choose the "three dots" in the top right corner of the chat.
  2. Select "More...".
  3. Select "Email Chat" - this allows you to choose your email application where it automatically pastes the chat messages.
  4. Send email to recipients.
     • Note that attachments/images from within the chat are not included in the email

• What gets deleted and is it recoverable?

  • The conversation remains and individual messages disappear when expired.
  • Messages are not recoverable once they expire.
• How will a user know it has been deleted?

  • Individual messages within a chat are automatically removed once they expire. The chat itself remains.
  • A message indicates on the main chat window that the "Previous messages have expired".
• Could the deletion of the chat message have a negative impact on anything else in the BBME software (meetings messages, etc.)?

  There is no impact on scheduled meetings, etc.

• Are any uploaded files deleted with the chat?

  Uploaded files are visible in the chat and expire based on policy.

• When you are in the conversation:
  1. Select on the conversation tag name  
  2. Select on Settings
• You then have multiple options for copying contents from the chat message (e.g., copy chat, email chat or clear all messages).

• Skype for Business.
• Canada Conferencing Services (New Web Ex Solution).

1. Messages are automatically deleted as soon as the conversation window is closed.
2. Messages that are of business value are to be copied and stored in a corporate repository.
3. For more information on how to save instant messages of business value from Skype, visit Skype for Business on iService.

• There is a 30-day retention policy for recordings stored in your account in the cloud.
• If the meeting recordings are of business value, be sure to regularly download them and save them to your corporate repository.
• For more information, visit Conferencing Services (Phone, Video, Web) on iService.

The chat messages in a meeting chat disappear as soon as the meeting window is closed.

It is your responsibility to copy any chat messages of business value and stored in a corporate repository.

Steps to save chat messages:

1. In the meeting window, go to File > Save > Chat.

   The 'Save Chat As' dialog box appears.

2. Choose a location at which you want to save the file.

3. In the File name: field, type a name for the file.

   By default, if you have already saved chat in the session, the name of the previous file you saved will display. You can save all chat messages in your current meeting to this existing file, or save them to a new file.

4. Select the Save button.

   The Meeting Service Desktop App saves the chat messages in a .txt file at the location you selected.

Note: If the chat is not saved or a meeting is closed accidentally, the chat history cannot be retrieved.

• Other Communication tools with instant messaging capabilities may be used in the workplace, especially when initiated by a third party for quick and easy ways to communicate.
• These other tools are not managed by the Government of Canada (GoC) and are not supported by our department's National Service Desk (NSD), thus these tools should be used when no other options are available.
  • Example : Zoom, Slack, Slido, Skype using personal accounts, Bell/Rogers texts, etc.
• It is recommended to only use communication tools for unclassified or transitory information, unless explicitly authorized to use for business value information. 
• ESDC users must manually transfer messages of business value to a corporate repository.
• Caution is recommended when using these tools.