Questions are once again being raised regarding encryption on Meta’s messaging platform, WhatsApp. WhatsApp claims that all messages on its platform are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that no one except the sender and the recipient can read them. However, now questions are being raised on this claim. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and American billionaire Elon Musk have criticized Meta’s platform over issues related to the security of user data. In particular, a report has recently surfaced alleging that WhatsApp employees have the ability to access user messages. Meta has declared this report to be false.
Questions raised on encryption of WhatsApp after the report
According to reports, third party companies can access WhatsApp messages for moderation purposes. External companies involved in this process reportedly have access to some user content. Citing this report, Durov has made allegations against WhatsApp.
Pavel Durov and Elon Musk criticized WhatsApp
Taking a strong stance against WhatsApp, Durov claimed that the company’s encryption system is “the biggest consumer fraud in history”. He alleged that the platform had misled users about the security of their conversations. They claimed that employees of third party contractors could access user messages, raising serious concerns about data privacy. Musk has also said that WhatsApp cannot be trusted. Writing on In the same post, he also promoted the messaging service offered by his own platform. It is worth noting that both Musk and Durov are competitors of WhatsApp.
How has Meta responded to these allegations?
Meta has rejected the allegations made on WhatsApp, calling them false. The company said that WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption based on Signal Protocol, which ensures that only the sender and recipient can read the message. The company further clarified that its moderation system does not tamper with or break encryption. Instead of directly accessing chat logs, the company relies on user reports.
Even before, questions have been raised on encryption of WhatsApp.
This is not the first time that such questions have been raised regarding the encryption of WhatsApp. Last year, cyber security expert Nana Sei Anyemedu conducted a demo exposing the vulnerabilities in the company’s systems. Anyemedu explained that messages remain private during transmission, but are no longer encrypted once they reach the receiver’s device. By accessing an unlocked or decrypted device—or using forensic tools—anyone can extract information from the entire message timeline, including timestamps, participant information, photos, videos, voice notes, and attached documents.
