WhatsApp’s Privacy Under Fire: New Class-Action Lawsuit Claims Meta Can Access "Encrypted" Messages

Meta is facing a high-stakes legal battle following a class-action lawsuit alleging that WhatsApp—despite its marketing as a secure, end-to-end encrypted platform—routinely stores and analyzes user messages. The lawsuit, reportedly supported by a company whistleblower, claims that technical loopholes allow Meta to bypass the Signal protocol to access certain content and metadata, sparking a global privacy debate across major markets like India, Brazil, and Australia.

Meta’s spokesperson, Andy Stone, slammed the lawsuit as "frivolous" and "entirely false," maintaining that user privacy remains protected by industry-leading encryption. However, privacy advocates point out that even with encryption, "Metadata" (information about who you talk to and when) and unencrypted cloud backups remain significant vulnerabilities. This case could redefine the boundaries of digital privacy and the transparency required from big tech giants.