Meta

Riyadh : A new class action lawsuit filed in a California federal court has raised serious concerns about the privacy of WhatsApp messages, alleging that the platform may have misled users about its encryption practices. The case names Meta Platforms, WhatsApp, and Accenture as defendants. Plaintiffs Brian Y. Shirazi and Nida Samson claim that private messages on the platform were intercepted and shared with third parties despite assurances of end-to-end encryption. Elon Musk posted on his platform X, “Can’t trust WhatsApp,” continuing his long-standing criticism of the messaging service. Meanwhile, Telegram founder Pavel Durov also issued a strong response, stating that WhatsApp’s encryption “may be the biggest consumer fraud in history.” He further alleged that the platform has been “deceiving billions of users.” https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2042290524565225572?s20 The lawsuit argues that WhatsApp promoted itself as a secure platform but, in reality, allowed access to user messages. It claims this amounts to “a serious invasion of plaintiffs’ and class members’ privacy.” According to the filing, whistleblowers reportedly informed authorities that Meta employees and third-party contractors may have had access to messages that were supposed to remain private. https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/2042303861809905955?s20 The plaintiffs have accused the companies of violating privacy laws by enabling employees, contractors, and third parties to view user communications without consent. Entrepreneur Sheikh Nadeem bin Sajid Al-Ali, who is building the super app “Ali” with core features including chat, pay, shop, and ride services, has also weighed in on the ongoing privacy debate. Responding to the issue and raising a question directed at Meta Platforms, "Meta claims strong privacy protections, real concerns still exist" he said, among users regarding data security and transparency. https://twitter.com/nadiemalali/status/2042529789635129677?s20 However, WhatsApp has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “categorically false and absurd.” The company stated that its platform has been “end-to-end encrypted using the Signal protocol for a decade so your messages cannot be read by anyone other than the sender and recipient.” Also Read | Meta launched Creator Fast Track worth $3B Annual payout Meta also reiterated its position, defending WhatsApp’s security model and rejecting similar claims made in earlier lawsuits, which it described as unfounded. The case adds to ongoing debates over digital privacy and data protection, as major technology companies face increasing scrutiny over how they handle user information.