WhatsApp's privacy claims challenged: Meta hit with global lawsuit
Technology
Meta is being sued in the US by users from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, who say WhatsApp's promise of end-to-end encryption isn't what it seems.
The lawsuit accuses Meta of misleading users by claiming that "only people in this chat can read, listen, or share," while allegedly not keeping chats as private as advertised.
What the lawsuit says—and how Meta is responding
Plaintiffs claim Meta actually stores and analyzes WhatsApp messages and even lets employees access them—the complaint cites 'whistleblowers' as having helped bring this information to light.
Meta's spokesperson called these claims "categorically false" and said, "This lawsuit is a frivolous work of fiction," insisting WhatsApp uses Signal protocol encryption.
The case was just filed on January 23.