WhatsApp has been banned from all US House of Representatives devices, according to a memo issued to congressional staff on Monday.

The internal notice, circulated by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, cited cybersecurity concerns, stating that WhatsApp posed a “high risk to users” due to a lack of transparency around its data protection practices, the absence of stored data encryption, and other potential security vulnerabilities.

In place of WhatsApp, the memo recommended alternative messaging platforms considered more secure, including Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.

Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, strongly opposed the decision. A company spokesperson said, “We disagree with this decision in the strongest possible terms,” arguing that WhatsApp offers stronger security protections than the apps that were approved as alternatives.

The ban follows heightened scrutiny of digital security in Congress. Earlier this year, a WhatsApp official revealed that users of the platform—including journalists and civil society figures—had been targeted by Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions.

This is not the first time the House has taken such action. In 2022, the short video app TikTok was also banned from staff devices due to similar national security concerns.

(AriseNews TV)