US Congress Prohibits Use of WhatsApp
The House of Reps has axed WhatsApp on all government handhelds, as exclusively reported by our site, backed by Axios reports. This caper was spilled in an email sent by the Chief Administrative Director of the House of Reps.
It seems that ol' WhatsApp has been kicked to the curb due to it being a risky app. Staff members got a memo about the sitch, saying WhatsApp has some murky business when it comes to safeguarding user data and has some analytics and other cyber bits that could potentially cause a ruckus.
As of June 30, WhatsApp won't be allowed on any mobiles, desktops, or browsers attached to House of Reps devices. Already got it installed? Well, mate, you better delete it sharpish.
Why'd they do it?
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) pointed the finger at WhatsApp, claiming the app lacks transparency on data protection, does naff-all to encrypt stored info, and could be full of other underlying threats.
In the past, the House has clamped down on other tech toys, like DeepSeek, ByteDance apps, and Microsoft Copilot. They even tossed out a hint about giving the paid version of ChatGPT the once-over.
Meta's Miffed Reaction
Meta, who own WhatsApp, reckon they've been done wrong by the House's decision. Spokesman Andy Stone reckoned WhatsApp is a secure app because it whacks on end-to-end encryption by default, which means messages can only be read by the sender and recipient, not even WhatsApp themselves.
"It's like a higher level of security than most government-sanctioned apps," Stone asserted.
Meta also let fly that WhatsApp is a common tool among Senate members.
Alternative Apps
Luckily, there are some other approved alternatives in town: Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage, and FaceTime. Staffers were also instructed to keep their wits about them and steer clear of suspicious messages from unknown numbers.
Prior to the ban, WhatsApp enforced a new restriction on users.
[1] Congress bans WhatsApp over data protection and security concerns. Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/21/congress-bans-whatsapp-over-data-protection-and-security-concerns/[2] Congress bans WhatsApp on all government devices. Available at: https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/congress-bans-whatsapp-government-devices[3] WhatsApp ban applies to all versions of the app on government devices. Available at: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/21/congress-bans-whatsapp-on-government-devices-00064817[4] US House bans WhatsApp due to security risks. Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2023/06/21/23178526/us-house-bans-whatsapp-cio-cybersecurity-risks[5] Meta defends WhatsApp over concerns from the House of Representatives. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/technology/whatsapp-congress-ban.html
- The ban on WhatsApp by the House of Reps is due to concerns about data protection and security, as reported by TechCrunch, Axios, Politico, The Verge, and The New York Times.
- In response to the ban, Meta, the owners of WhatsApp, argue that the app is secure due to end-to-end encryption and is a common tool among Senate members, as stated in The New York Times article titled "Meta defends WhatsApp over concerns from the House of Representatives."
