Scoop: WhatsApp banned on House staffers' devices
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The U.S. House's chief administrative officer informed congressional staffers Monday that messaging app WhatsApp is banned on their government devices, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The ban, which centers on the vulnerability of staffers' data, comes as Congress is also taking steps to limit the use of AI programs it deems similarly risky.
- The chief administrative officer has in recent years set at least partial bans on DeepSeek, ByteDance apps and Microsoft Copilot.
- It has also heavily restricted staffers' use of ChatGPT, instructing offices to only use the paid version, ChatGPT Plus.
What they're saying: "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," the CAO said in an email obtained by Axios.
- "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."
The other side: Andy Stone, a spokesperson for WhatsApp parent company Meta, said in a statement to Axios, "We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer's characterization in the strongest possible terms."
- "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 said.
- "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."
Zoom in: The CAO said that Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage and FaceTime are all acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.
- It also warned staffers to be wary of potential phishing scams and texts from unknown numbers.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
