A memo from the House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), seen by *Axios*, warned that WhatsApp posed a “high risk” due to its “lack of transparency in how it protects user data
The US House of Representatives has banned staffers from using WhatsApp on government-issued devices, citing security concerns over the app’s data practices and transparency.
A memo from the House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), seen by *Axios*, warned that WhatsApp posed a “high risk” due to its “lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks”. As a result, House staff have been instructed not to download or access the app on any government-issued devices—including mobile phones, desktops, or via web browsers.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, pushed back strongly against the claims. “We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer’s characterization in the strongest possible terms,” said Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, in a post on social media platform X. “We know members and their staff regularly use WhatsApp and we look forward to ensuring members of the House can join their Senate counterparts in doing so officially.”
WhatsApp insists that its platform uses end-to-end encryption by default and claims it offers a “higher level” of security than many apps on the CAO’s approved list.
Staff are being directed towards “acceptable” alternatives such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s encrypted messaging service Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.
The move places WhatsApp on a growing list of banned platforms in the House, alongside TikTok, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Chinese AI app DeepSeek. It also comes shortly after WhatsApp announced a push to introduce ads to monetise the app—though the company stressed the shift would not compromise user privacy.
