Meta Faces Fresh Scrutiny Over WhatsApp Privacy Claims

The company Meta* is once again accused of not paying enough attention to the privacy of user data in its software applications. An international group of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Meta alleges that the company made false statements about the privacy and security of its WhatsApp messenger.

WhatsApp has long supported end-to-end encryption, which should mean that only the parties involved in the conversation can read the messages. However, in a lawsuit filed Friday in US District Court in San Francisco, it is alleged that Meta’s statements in this regard are false, and that the company stores, analyzes, and has access to almost all supposedly private user conversations on WhatsApp.

The plaintiffs say they rely on information from certain whistleblowers, but there is still no data on who they are or even whether these same whistleblowers, for example, are Meta employees themselves. Naturally, the company denies everything, calling the accusations false and absurd, although it is worth recalling that Meta, formerly Facebook, has repeatedly been involved in scandals related to data privacy.

Recently, in mid-2025, a significant number of users expressed their discontent over updates to WhatsApp’s terms of service, particularly concerning data sharing with other Meta services. This has fueled ongoing debates about the transparency and fairness of these policies, adding more tension to the current legal challenges.

Industry experts have also voiced concern, pointing out that while WhatsApp’s security measures are robust in theory, such as the use of advanced end-to-end encryption protocols, the confidence users have in their overall privacy is being undermined by these persistent allegations and the company’s handling of user data transparency.

*The company Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia.