For years, executives, managers, and employees at broker-dealers, investment advisory firms, and swap dealers used unauthorized communication channels to conduct company business.

They texted clients and colleagues from their personal devices. They exchanged emails from personal accounts. And, perhaps most systematically, they sent thousands of business-related messages that were not recorded by their employer on apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Signal, and Slack.

Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...