Why US government has ended its probe into WhatsApp
What's the story
The United States has closed an investigation into allegations that Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, could access encrypted messages on the platform. The probe was launched by the Office of Export Enforcement within the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. It looked into claims that some Meta employees and contractors had access to content from encrypted WhatsApp chats.
Allegations dismissed
What are the allegations against Meta?
Meta has strongly denied these allegations, maintaining that its employees can't read messages due to the platform's design. However, the investigator behind the probe had claimed in a January email that after 10 months of document collection and interviews, he concluded Meta stores and can also view WhatsApp messages. The agent also alleged that "there is no limit to the type of WhatsApp message that can be viewed by Meta."
Inquiry conclusion
Investigation was abruptly closed
The investigation was abruptly closed after the agent sent his email. This leaves unanswered questions about what evidence was collected and why the agent sought outside involvement for an inquiry dubbed "Operation Sourced Encryption." It remains unclear if any officials he emailed picked up on this case involving one of the world's most popular messaging apps.
False allegations
'Claims are patently false'
Meta's spokesperson Andy Stone also dismissed the claims made by the agent. He said, "The claim that WhatsApp can access people's encrypted communications is patently false." Stone added that few months ago the Bureau of Industry and Security had disavowed this purported investigation, calling its own employee's allegations unsubstantiated, and saying the agency is not investigating WhatsApp or Meta for export law violations.
Encryption debate
Contradicts WhatsApp's marketing
The agent's claims contradict Meta's marketing of WhatsApp as a private app with default "end-to-end" encryption. This means "no one outside of the chat, not even WhatsApp, can read, listen to, or share" what a user says. However, the agent claimed in his email that "Meta can and does view and store all the text messages, photographs, audio and video recordings" in an unencrypted format.
Security concerns
Alex Stamos doubts claims
Alex Stamos, who was Meta's Chief Security Officer from 2015 to 2018, doubted the claims. He said it is "almost certainly false" and dismissed the idea of a secret way for the firm to view WhatsApp messages. Stamos also said that any widespread backdoor would have to be in the downloaded Android and iOS apps and would be easily found by security researchers.