US House of Representatives bans WhatsApp on official devices

Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp messaging service has been banned from all devices issued by the US House of Representatives, according to an internal memo circulated to House staff on Monday.

The directive, issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, cited WhatsApp as a "high risk to users" due to a lack of transparency in its data protection policies, absence of encryption for stored data, and other potential security vulnerabilities.

The notice, signed by the chief administrative officer, advised House staff to use alternative messaging platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.

Meta strongly disagreeed with the decision. A company spokesperson said Meta “disagrees with the move in the strongest possible terms,” arguing that WhatsApp offers stronger security protections than many of the apps now recommended.

Earlier this year, a WhatsApp official revealed that Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions had targeted numerous users, including journalists and civil society members.

This isn’t the first time the House has blocked an app over security concerns. In 2022, it banned the Chinese-owned short video platform TikTok from official devices.