A US lawsuit alleges Meta can access WhatsApp messages despite encryption claims, which Meta denies as “frivolous,” while Elon Musk questioned the platform’s security.
A lawsuit filed Friday in San Francisco federal court accuses Meta of misleading WhatsApp users about message privacy despite its end-to-end encryption claims. The international plaintiffs, including users from India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, allege Meta stores, analyzes, and can access private communications. The complaint states “whistleblowers” exposed these practices and claims Meta employees can read message content, contradicting WhatsApp’s assurance that only chat participants can access conversations.
Meta strongly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “a frivolous work of fiction.” Spokesperson Andy Stone said, “Any claim that people’s WhatsApp messages are not encrypted is categorically false and absurd.” The company plans to seek sanctions against the filing lawyers. WhatsApp Head Will Cathcart added the lawsuit was brought by “the very same firm defending NSO after their spyware attacked journalists and government officials.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the controversy by questioning WhatsApp’s security on X. “WhatsApp is not secure. Even Signal is questionable. Use X Chat,” Musk wrote, promoting his own messaging platform. The lawsuit’s reference to whistleblowers lacks specific details, which may become crucial as the case progresses through court proceedings.