The US House of Representatives has banned WhatsApp from all official devices, citing serious cybersecurity risks in a memo sent to staff Monday.
The House cybersecurity office labeled WhatsApp “high-risk” due to three main concerns: lack of transparency about data protection, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security vulnerabilities.
Recommended Alternatives
House staff received a list of approved messaging apps to use instead:
- Microsoft Teams
- Amazon’s Wickr
- Signal
- Apple’s iMessage
- Apple’s FaceTime
Meta, which owns WhatsApp, has not responded to requests for comment about the ban.
Signal Also Under Scrutiny
The decision comes amid growing concerns about messaging app security in government. Signal, despite being recommended by the House, recently caused controversy when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accidentally shared classified Yemen attack plans in Signal group chats.
One chat included top security officials and accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic magazine. The Pentagon had previously warned employees about a technical vulnerability in Signal that Russian hackers could exploit.
Pentagon Guidelines
Pentagon rules allow third-party messaging apps for unclassified information but ban their use for “non-public” unclassified materials. The military issued warnings in March about Russian hacking groups potentially targeting Signal users.
The House ban reflects growing government concerns about foreign-owned social media and messaging platforms accessing American user data and communications.
