US House staffers have been instructed to stop using WhatsApp and uninstall the app from their work devices due to security concerns, Axios reports.

"The 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,” reads a memo sent to congressional staffers from the House’s chief administrative officer (CAO) on Monday.

All staffers will be required to uninstall the app from House-managed devices. They can’t use the app's web or desktop versions, either. The memo also warns staffers about potential phishing scams and texts from unknown numbers.

As alternatives, the CAO suggests Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, or iMessage. Given its recent history with the US government, Signal’s inclusion on that list comes as a surprise. Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic’s Editor-In-Chief to a Signal group chat discussing confidential war plans. The screw-up drew a transfer for Waltz and a Pentagon investigation for everyone involved.

In March, the Pentagon also sent a department-wide email warning that Russian hackers are exploiting Signal's "linked devices" feature.

Unsurprisingly, Meta is unhappy with the move. It has reiterated WhatsApp’s safety and rated it above the alternatives suggested by the House.

“We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer’s characterization in the strongest possible terms,” tweeted Andy Stone, Meta’s communications director. “Messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning only the recipients and not even WhatsApp can see them. This is a higher level of security than most of the apps on the CAO’s approved list that do not offer that protection.”

It’s not the first time the US House has banned a popular platform over safety concerns. Staffers were prohibited from using TikTok on their government-issued phones in 2022, the free version of ChatGPT in 2023, and Microsoft Copilot in 2024.

By: DocMemory
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