Meta: Lawsuit Claiming WhatsApp Lacks End-to-End Encryption Is Falling Apart

Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling. In a Monday court filing, Meta says it has spent months “proactively engaged” with the plaintiffs on why the allegations are baseless. The lawsuit comes from a group of users based in countries such as Australia, Mexico, and South Africa, who cite “courageous whistleblowers” who allege Meta has “unlimited access” to WhatsApp’s encrypted messages.  With end-to-end encryption, Meta itself can’t view any user messages. So, if true, the sensational claims would undermine a core privacy feature of WhatsApp. The problem is that the lawsuit never offered any technical details to back up its allegations; instead, it merely claimed Meta had an internal system to easily view users’ WhatsApp messages. When the lawsuit was first filed, Meta was quick to dismiss the allegations as “categorically false and absurd.” In the Monday filing, the company revealed it’s been pushing the plaintiffs and their lawyers to withdraw the case, arguing the “so-called ‘whistleblowers’ behind the complaint are confused, deeply misinformed, or acting in bad faith.” Meta went so far as to offer “sworn declarations from two WhatsApp employees,” confirming under penalty of perjury
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