Meta Can Read Private WhatsApp Chats, Claims Lawsuit; Elon Musk Says App Is Not Secure

WhatsApp has long marketed itself as a safe space for private conversations, thanks to its end-to-end encryption promise. That claim is now being challenged in court. A new lawsuit filed in the United States accuses Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, of having the ability to access supposedly private messages. The case has sparked debate around how secure popular messaging platforms really are, drawing reactions from tech leaders and raising fresh questions about user privacy in an era dominated by big platforms.What The Lawsuit AllegesThe lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco court on January 23, includes plaintiffs from Australia, South Africa and Mexico. According to the filing, WhatsApp’s encryption system is described as a “sham,” with claims

that Meta employees can bypass protections and view user messages.The complaint alleges that internal staff can request access to a user’s chats by submitting a task to Meta engineers. Once approved, access is reportedly granted through internal tools linked to a user’s unique ID. The lawsuit goes further, claiming that messages can appear almost in real time and may even include content users believe they have already deleted.It’s worth noting that the filing does not include technical proof to back up these claims, something that could become a key point as the case progresses.Meta’s Response And WhatsApp’s StanceMeta has dismissed the lawsuit outright, calling the allegations “false and absurd.” The US-based tech giant maintains that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption works exactly as advertised, with encryption keys stored only on users’ devices. According to Meta, neither WhatsApp nor its employees can decrypt or read private messages. WhatsApp has long argued that its architecture makes message access technically impossible without direct access to a user’s device, a position it has repeated in past controversies.Elon Musk Enters The ConversationAdding fuel to the fire, Elon Musk reacted to the lawsuit on social media, claiming that “WhatsApp is not secure” and even questioning the reliability of other encrypted apps. He encouraged users to try X Chat, a messaging feature launched by xAI last year that positions itself as privacy-focused.