WhatsApp too sus for US govt, gets officially banned from government phones

Looks like WhatsApp just got ghosted by the US House of Representatives. Congressional staffers have officially been told to kick the messaging app off their government devices. Why? Because the House’s cybersecurity team says it’s just not safe enough.

Why WhatsApp is getting the boot

In an internal email, the House’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) straight-up labelled WhatsApp as a “high-risk” app. The message called out WhatsApp’s lack of transparency in how it handles user data, the absence of stored data encryption, and its potential for security breaches. So yeah, not exactly the kind of vibes Congress wants on its devices.

The CAO made it crystal clear: no WhatsApp on any House-issued phones, computers, or even web browsers. If staffers already have it installed, they’ll be contacted and told to delete it immediately.

Congress is on a cleanup spree

This isn’t the first time Congress has cracked down on apps it thinks are sus. DeepSeek, ByteDance-owned platforms like TikTok, and even Microsoft Copilot have all faced bans or restrictions. And ChatGPT? Only the paid version, ChatGPT Plus, is allowed — and only with tight controls.

Basically, if your app handles data in a sketchy way or isn't crystal clear about security, Congress wants nothing to do with it.

Meta isn’t happy about the ban

Unsurprisingly, Meta (the company behind WhatsApp) isn’t taking the decision lying down. Spokesperson Andy Stone hit back, saying they “strongly disagree” with the CAO’s assessment. He pointed out that WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption by default, which even WhatsApp itself can’t break. According to him, that’s more secure than some of the other apps Congress does allow.

Stone also noted that Senate staff still use WhatsApp, so the House might be overreacting a bit.

What apps are still safe to use?

So what’s the House actually okay with? Staffers have been told they can use alternatives like Microsoft Teams, Signal, Wickr, iMessage, and FaceTime — apps the CAO says have stronger, more transparent security policies.

Staffers were also reminded to stay alert for shady texts and phishing attempts. Basically, if it smells fishy, don’t click it.

Bottom line?

Congress doesn’t trust WhatsApp’s vibe, and until it changes its tune on transparency, it’s banned. Government-issued phones just got a little less chatty.

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