The world’s most popular chat app has been banned from all US House of Representatives devices, causing a heated dispute. The ban follows a critical remark by Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who called WhatsApp ‘a cheap, watered-down imitation of Telegram.’ With over 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp remains the most popular messaging platform globally. However, the ban is based on concerns over the app’s security and privacy features.
According to Reuters, a memo was circulated earlier this week to all House members, informing them of the ban. 
The primary reason for the ban appears to be privacy risks associated with WhatsApp. The Office of Cybersecurity reportedly flagged the app as a high-risk platform due to the lack of transparency regarding its data protection practices, the absence of encrypted storage of data, and potential security vulnerabilities.
In response to the notice, members who have WhatsApp installed on their House-managed devices have been instructed to remove it immediately. The House administration is recommending alternative chat platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Signal, iMessage, and FaceTime.
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, strongly disagrees with the assessment. A representative from WhatsApp, Andy Stone, issued a statement to Axios, stating, ‘We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer’s characterization in the strongest possible terms. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption by default, ensuring that only recipients, and not even WhatsApp itself, can access the content. This offers a higher level of security compared to many of the apps on the approved list that lack this protection.’
Interestingly, this is not the first time a popular app has been banned from the House. TikTok has also faced a similar ban since 2022, primarily due to security concerns tied to its parent company, ByteDance, based in China. Lawmakers expressed fears that the app could be used to gather user data or influence political views, leading to its prohibition on official devices.
The decision to ban WhatsApp marks another step in the ongoing debate about privacy and security in the digital age, particularly among government officials. While some argue that these measures are necessary for national security, others believe that they hinder communication and limit the use of secure platforms.
2 comments
lol, as if this’ll impact Congress. They don’t really get much done anyway
Banning WhatsApp but keeping other apps that are just as vulnerable? Makes no sense to me