WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Meta is pushing back against a decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to ban WhatsApp on government devices, arguing the move is misguided.
The House Chief Administrative Officer, Catherine Szpindor, announced the ban in an internal memo, citing concerns about WhatsApp's transparency regarding data privacy and security practices.
The directive instructs House staff to uninstall WhatsApp from government-issued phones and computers and prohibits its use on official devices in the future.
'Safeguarding the People's House is our top priority,' Szpindor said in a statement to CNBC. 'We are constantly monitoring for cybersecurity risks that could compromise the data of Members and staff.'
Meta quickly defended WhatsApp, with spokesperson Andy Stone stating on X that the company 'strongly disagrees' with the CAO's assessment. Stone highlighted that WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption offers 'a higher level of security than most apps on the CAO's approved list.' He added that Meta hopes House members will eventually be allowed to use WhatsApp, as their Senate counterparts do.
Approved alternatives to WhatsApp include Microsoft Teams, Signal, and Apple's iMessage, according to Axios.
The dispute comes as Meta faces ongoing legal challenges, including a Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit over its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.
Meta recently introduced advertisements on WhatsApp, part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision of the app as 'the next chapter' in the company's evolution.
Meta continues to argue that WhatsApp's encryption and widespread use make it a secure and practical tool for official communication, urging reconsideration of the ban.
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