The U.S. House of Representatives has banned WhatsApp on official devices, citing serious privacy and security concerns.
In a memo on Monday, the Office of Cybersecurity classified WhatsApp as “high risk” due to unclear data protection practices, lack of stored data encryption, and other vulnerabilities. Staff were advised to use alternatives like Microsoft Teams, iMessage, FaceTime, Signal, and Amazon’s Wickr.
Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, strongly opposed the decision, claiming the app offers stronger security than the approved alternatives.
The move follows past bans on apps like TikTok and comes months after WhatsApp confirmed some users were targeted by Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions.
