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WhatsApp banned on devices used by US House of Representatives: Here's a list of approved messaging apps
The US House has banned WhatsApp on government devices for congressional staff due to cybersecurity risks.
The US House's chief administrative officer has officially banned WhatsApp from all government-managed devices used by congressional staffers, citing data security concerns. The move aligns with broader efforts in Congress to limit the use of technologies considered high-risk, including certain AI tools.
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Memo reveals a ban on WhatsApp for US House representatives
Recently, the House has also imposed restrictions on apps like DeepSeek, ByteDance products, and Microsoft Copilot, and limited the use of ChatGPT to its paid version, ChatGPT Plus.
In the email obtained by Axios, the CAO said, “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.”
It further read, "House staff are NOT allowed to download or keep the WhatsApp application on any House device, including any mobile, desktop, or web browser versions of its products." The email added, “If you have a WhatsApp application on your House-managed device, you will be contacted to remove it.”
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Alternative messaging apps permitted
In the memo, from the CAO, alternative messaging platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Signal, Apple’s iMessage, and FaceTime were recommended as safer options, as reported by Reuters. It also warned against phishing scams and texts from unknown numbers.
WhatsApp responds to the ban
Spokesperson for WhatsApp parent company Meta, Andy Stone, said in a statement to Axios, “We know members and their staffs regularly use WhatsApp and we look forward to ensuring members of the House can join their Senate counterparts in doing so officially.”
Stone added, "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."
