THE USE OF MESSENGER CHATS IN STATE AND MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF LEGAL REGULATION

Abstract

Currently, communication technologies play a key role in public administration. With the development of mobile devices and messengers, the use of chats is becoming an increasingly popular tool for information exchange and coordination of activities. The purpose of the study is to consider some problematic aspects of the use of digital methods of communication by public authorities on the example of messenger chats. Materials and methods. The research was based on general scientific methods of cognition: observation, analysis, synthesis, description, generalization, comparison and others. On the basis of content analysis, comparative and systematic approaches, the use of chats in state and municipal management was investigated. The work also used system-wide scientific methods of theoretical and empirical research, as well as specific methods that made it possible to substantiate the results obtained. Sociological methods were used to study the opinions of chat users, as well as of experts and scientists. Private scientific methods, such as comparative-legal, formal-legal, statistical and structural-functional ones, were used for the study. This made it possible to identify trends, to formulate conclusions, and to offer recommendations for solving a number of issues in problem areas. Results. The obvious advantages of using messenger chats have led to their widespread use in the practice of state and municipal administration: speeding up decision-making processes, simplifying coordination, improving coordination of actions within the department and in interdepartmental interaction, increasing the quality of feedback between the state and citizens, etc. Despite the significant prospects of using messengers to improve the efficiency of communication and the quality of public and municipal services provided, to promote the development of the digital state, it is necessary to take into account the risks and problems: the use of personal mobile devices by employees; identification of the administrator and users; the possibility of deleting messages completely; legal consequences of messages sent via chat; protection of personal data; security and the integrity of messages transmitted via chat, etc. Conclusions. Some of the issues related to the use of messenger chats in the practice of state and municipal administration can be resolved by the adoption of departmental or local acts regulating the rules for the use of such chats, message monitoring, administrator powers, business etiquette, etc. In modern realities, it is important to conceptually revise approaches to document management, document flow and the concept of "document", taking into account the introduction and widespread use of digital innovations.