WhatsApp ban: US congressional staffers must delete the messenger

US congressional staff are no longer allowed to use WhatsApp on their work devices with immediate effect. The cybersecurity department of the US House of Representatives is said to have classified Meta's messenger as a "high risk" for users, according to an internal email obtained by the news portal Axios. The ban extends to all mobile devices, desktop computers and use in the browser.

In its justification, the Office of Cybersecurity cites three key points of criticism: the lack of transparency in the protection of user data, the lack of encryption of stored data and potential security risks when using the application.

Concern that sensitive data could be leaked

"Employees of the House of Representatives may not download or leave the WhatsApp application on official devices," reads an email from the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) on Monday. Affected employees with software already installed are asked to delete the app.

WhatsApp thus joins other bans that already apply to congressional staff. This affects the Chinese AI DeepSeek, the apps of TikTok parent company ByteDance from China and Microsoft Copilot. There are also strict guidelines for ChatGPT, although the paid version ChatGPT Plus may be used. The administration is concerned that sensitive government data could be leaked via these services.

These alternatives are recommended

Instead of WhatsApp, congressional staff should use Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage and FaceTime, according to Axios in its communication to congressional staff. Meta has not yet commented to Axios on the issue.

In addition to the WhatsApp ban, there was also a warning to watch out for phishing attempts and suspicious messages from unknown numbers. Apparently there has been an increase here. Industry experts expect that the guidelines for congressional staff could quickly be applied by other government agencies.

(mki)