Elon Musk says WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption can't be trusted, Mark Zuckerberg's company calls it ‘absurd’

Elon Musk publicly criticized WhatsApp, stating he “can’t trust” the platform, in response to a class-action lawsuit claiming Meta intercepted private messages despite its end-to-end encryption promises. He encouraged users to switch to X Chat, highlighting its purported privacy benefits. WhatsApp vehemently refuted these claims, calling the lawsuit's allegations “categorically false and absurd” and reaffirming its decade-long use of the Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption.

The controversy stems from allegations made by a former Meta contractor and reported by Bloomberg, suggesting that US law agencies are investigating whether Meta and Accenture employees had access to WhatsApp messages. Whistleblowers claim that access to user messages was possible, even before contractors were granted direct access to the platform.

Meta is facing scrutiny over its end-to-end encryption claims, with investigations underway by the US Department of Commerce and a complaint filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The core of the dispute revolves around whether WhatsApp truly protects user privacy as advertised, or if backdoors exist allowing access to private communications.

(Source：Livemint)