In a move reflecting growing concerns over cybersecurity within government institutions, the U.S. House of Representatives on June 23, 2025, officially banned the use of the WhatsApp application on all government-issued devices used by its employees.
The decision was based on an assessment conducted by the Office of Cybersecurity, which concluded that the app suffers from a lack of transparency regarding how user data is protected, in addition to the absence of encryption for stored data, making it potentially vulnerable to security threats.
The ban covers all versions of the application—whether on smartphones, computers, or via web browsers—and an official internal notice was sent to employees instructing them to immediately remove the app from any government devices.
As alternatives, the House recommended the use of applications that meet higher security standards, including:
* Signal
* FaceTime
In an initial response to the decision, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, expressed its disagreement with the ban, asserting that WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, which provides a strong layer of privacy protection.
Nevertheless, the move signals a broader policy shift within the U.S. government to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign-owned applications or those with opaque oversight records.
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