WhatsApp Banned from US House Devices

WhatsApp has been banned from all devices used by the US House of Representatives, according to a cybersecurity memo sent to staff. The decision was made by the Office of Cybersecurity, which flagged WhatsApp as a high-risk app due to “lack of transparency in how it protects user data,” insufficient data encryption storage, and other vulnerabilities.

Staff were advised to use alternatives like iMessage, Signal, Microsoft Teams, and Amazon’s Wickr. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, rejected the claims and insisted that its end-to-end encryption is stronger than many apps recommended by the House.

However, even Signal, one of the listed alternatives, has recently faced controversy. The Defense Secretary reportedly shared sensitive military information on Signal with private groups, including a journalist, prompting renewed concern over how secure these “secure apps” truly are.

The Pentagon has also issued internal warnings about potential exploitation of Signal by Russian hackers.