WhatsApp has dismissed allegations that it can access users’ private messages, calling a newly filed class-action lawsuit “categorically false and absurd” and insisting that its end-to-end encryption prevents even the company itself from reading chats.
“Any claim that people’s WhatsApp messages are not encrypted is categorically false and absurd,” WhatsApp told THE WEEK. “WhatsApp has been end-to-end encrypted using the Signal protocol for a decade. This lawsuit is a frivolous work of fiction, and we will pursue sanctions against plaintiffs’ counsel.”
The Meta-owned messaging platform said the lawsuit misunderstands how WhatsApp is built and how its encryption works in practice. Personal messages and calls, it said, have been protected by end-to-end encryption for nearly a decade.
The statement follows a lawsuit filed in a US federal court claiming that WhatsApp’s privacy messaging gives users a misleading sense of security about how their communications are handled. The plaintiffs allege that, despite encryption claims, Meta can collect or analyse user communications and related data.
WhatsApp rejects that characterisation, saying the allegations conflate message content, which it says it cannot see, with other types of data used to run and improve the service.
How the encryption works
Chats are encrypted on the sender’s device before being sent and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. The encryption keys are stored only on those devices.
“This means that no one, not even WhatsApp, can read your messages or listen to your calls,” the company told THE WEEK, describing the system as a digital lock that intermediaries cannot open.
It pointed to its public technical documentation explaining that it has no technical ability to access the contents of personal conversations.
Content versus other data
A key point in the debate is the difference between message content and metadata.
WhatsApp said it cannot see the content of personal messages, whether one-to-one or in groups. It also said it does not keep logs of who users message or call, arguing that storing such records for billions of people would be bad for privacy.
At the same time, the company said it analyses how features are used so it can improve the app, and that it removes personal details when doing this. It also relies on automated systems and user reports to detect spam and abuse, and says it responds transparently to valid requests from law enforcement.
Backups and extra protection
Backups are often mentioned as a potential weak point in messaging security because they may sit outside the core messaging system.
WhatsApp said users can choose to enable end-to-end encrypted backups for chats stored on Google Drive or iCloud. These backups can be protected with a password or a 64-digit encryption key known only to the user, meaning neither WhatsApp nor the cloud provider can read the backups or access the key needed to unlock them.
Criticism from rivals
The lawsuit has triggered sharp reactions from competitors. Telegram founder Pavel Durov said users would be “braindead” to believe WhatsApp is secure, while Elon Musk described the app as “not secure” in posts on X.
WhatsApp pointed to public statements by its head, Will Cathcart, rejecting the allegations as false and misleading, and noted that independent cryptography experts have also publicly challenged the technical claims made in the lawsuit.
A familiar privacy debate
The case is still at an early stage and has not yet been tested in court. Even so, it has revived long-running questions about privacy and trust in large technology platforms.
For users, the episode is a reminder that end-to-end encryption protects the contents of messages by default, while some protections, such as encrypted backups, need to be switched on manually.
For WhatsApp, the message is simple: personal chats remain private by design, protected by encryption, and out of reach of the company itself.