Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The app is deemed a “high risk to users”, according to memo.
The app is deemed a “high risk to users”, according to memo.
What is happening?
The popular messaging app WhatsApp has been banned in The House of Representatives in the US Congress.
Why?
According to Reuters, a memo sent to all House staff Monday stated, that the app is too big of a security risk to use.
“A high risk”
More specifically, the memo said that:
“Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”
Banned from all House devices
The ban means that WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, who also owns Facebook and Instagram, is banned from all devices of US House of representatives.
Suggestions for alternatives
The memo came from the chief administrative officer and included a list of recommended alternatives to the app.
These include Teams (Microsoft), Wickr (Amazon), Signal and iMessage and FaceTime (both Apple).
Meta strongly disagrees
Unsurprisingly, Meta is disagreeing with the decision “in the strongest possible terms”, a spokesperson said according to Reuters.
Higher levels of security
According to the spokesperson, WhatsApp actually has a higher level of security then the other approved apps.
Israeli spyware
In January, a WhatsApp official said that Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware company, had targeted a huge number of WhatsApp-users.
These includet journalists and memebers of civil society.
Not the first ban
If you think this sounds like a story, you’ve heard before, you’re not wrong
The House has banned a number of appps over the years including TikTok in 2022 due to security risks.