Lawsuit Claims Meta Can See WhatsApp Chats in Breach of Privacy
A lawsuit alleges Meta falsely claims WhatsApp chats are fully private, accusing them of accessing user communications despite end-to-end encryption.Summary
An international group of plaintiffs has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging that the company misrepresented the privacy and security of WhatsApp. Meta promotes WhatsApp’s “end-to-end” encryption as ensuring messages are accessible only to the sender and recipient, stating that “only people in this chat can read, listen to, or share” messages. However, the lawsuit claims that Meta and WhatsApp actually “store, analyze, and can access virtually all of WhatsApp users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications,” defrauding billions of users. Meta dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and categorically denied the claims, asserting that WhatsApp has used the Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption for a decade. The plaintiffs, from countries including Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, allege that Meta stores message content and allows employee access, citing information from “whistleblowers.” The legal team is seeking class-action status, and Meta has stated its intention to pursue sanctions against the plaintiffs’ counsel.
(Source：Mint)