WhatsApp can read users' encrypted messages, claims lawsuit against Meta in the US, citing whistleblowers
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "WhatsApp can read users' encrypted messages, claims lawsuit against Meta in the US, citing whistleblowers")
A logo of WhatsApp, which the lawsuit claims can read users' encrypted messages Photograph: (Others)
A US lawsuit claimed that Meta misled users by saying WhatsApp chats are private. It alleged that Meta staff can have internal access to the messages. Meta rejected the claims in the lawsuit, which is allegedly based on whistleblower revelations
A recent lawsuit in the US claims that WhatsApp can read private or encrypted messages, basing its arguments on whistleblower revelations. Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg–led parent company of WhatsApp which also owns Facebook and Instagram, has strongly rejected these claims. The lawsuit’s claim about ‘whistleblowers’ is yet to be substantiated, as they are not named. Nevertheless, the case has brought renewed attention to the reliability of WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
What is WhatsApp’s encryption technology?
E2EE uses the widely respected Signal protocol, a golden standard considered secure by experts. WhatsApp has often resisted government requests to decrypt chats, and there have been no known backdoor entries that allow the company or third parties to access message content.
Enabled by default in WhatsApp, the E2EE encryption keys are stored only on users’ devices, theoretically preventing Meta from decrypting messages in transit or on servers. While metadata, such as who sent a message to whom, can be collected, the system is generally considered robust and capable of ensuring privacy and secrecy for users.
What is the new case against Meta on WhatsApp message encryption?
An international group of plaintiffs from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa filed the lawsuit on January 24 at the US District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. They are seeking 'global class action' status for their complaint, aiming to represent billions of WhatsApp users across the world.
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The suit claims that Meta and WhatsApp ‘mislead users by advertising E2EE, while secretly storing, analysing and accessing virtually all private communications’.
Employees can allegedly request such access via an internal system, which apparently involves sending a “task” to engineers who grant access without scrutiny.
The messages, the lawsuit claims, can be viewed in real time through a widget using a user’s ID.
Past messages since an account was created could be accessed with no decryption needed, contradicting Meta’s promises that only senders and recipients can read messages, the suit claims.
According to reports, the lawsuit argues that Meta’s alleged conduct amounts to 'fraud on billions of users worldwide' who rely on WhatsApp’s privacy assurances. It is seeking damages and injunctive relief.
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The lawsuit cited unnamed ‘courageous whistleblowers’ as the source of these revelations.
Among other things, it alleged that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) at Meta are suppressing this information from becoming public.
However, the lawsuit provides no names or roles of the whistleblowers, or specific evidence or technical information in the complaint.
Meta rejects claims as false and absurd
Calling the allegations categorically false, absurd, and a “frivolous work of fiction”, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said WhatsApp has used the Signal protocol for E2EE for nearly a decade.
Meta also vowed to seek sanctions against the plaintiffs’ lawyers, and fight the lawsuit from the beginning.
