The US House of Representatives has banned WhatsApp on all devices used by representatives and staff. The instruction comes from the Office of Cybersecurity, which banned the popular messaging app due to a lack of transparency in how it protects user data and “potential security risks involved with its use.”
As reported by Axios, the ban extends to all devices representatives or their staffers might use, including mobile, desktop, and web browser versions of WhatsApp. An email obtained by Axios clearly states that the app is being dropped due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”
This isn’t the first time an app has been banned on official US government-managed devices either. In the past, we’ve seen similar bans applied to apps like DeepSeek, ByteDance apps including TikTok, and even Microsoft Copilot.
As expected, Meta disagrees with the decision. Andy Stone, the company’s communications director, claims that WhatsApp offers better protection than most apps on the Chief Administrative Officer’s (CAO’s) approved list. These “approved” apps include Signal, iMessage and FaceTime from Apple, Microsoft Teams, and Amazon Wickr.
WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, similar to Signal, an approved app on the CAO list. Signal has been used by US security officials in the past to coordinate attacks; however, the Pentagon has since warned its employees to avoid using Signal due to a vulnerability found in the app.
Meta has been in hot water lately, especially after its pixel tracking came to light, which can track users across the internet as long as they have Meta-owned apps installed on their systems. The company’s plans to introduce ads in the WhatsApp status section also haven’t helped its case, which is made worse as the CAO announcement once again questions WhatsApp’s security measures.
In the News: Ransomware group now lets you call a lawyer
