WhatsApp banned on House of Representative members' devices – but Signal still allowed, memo shows

Independent

6 hours ago

WhatsApp has been banned on mobile devices belonging to members of the House of Representatives, though other messaging platforms including Signal – the app at the center of a major military controversy – are still reportedly allowed.
According to a memo sent to all House members on Monday and obtained by Reuters, WhatsApp was deemed as 'high risk' due to 'potential security risks involved with its use,' among other things.
It comes after uproar back in March, after journalist Jeffery Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat which included high ranking members of the administration. The incident later became known colloquially as 'Signalgate.'
An investigation was launched after Goldberg reported that highly-sensitive information on U.S. military operations in Yemen had been shared in the group, which included cabinet members including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and former National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.
But rather than single out Signal, Monday's memo 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."
A Meta spokesperson said the company disagreed with the move "in the strongest possible terms," noting that the platform provides a higher level of security than the other approved apps.
However, in January, a WhatsApp official said Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions had targeted scores of its users, including journalists and members of civil society.
Instead of WhatsApp, House members were recommended to use other messaging apps, including Microsoft Corp's Teams platform, Amazon.com's Wickr, and Apple's iMessage and FaceTime, Reutersreported.
Despite the shocking breach of security in March, Signal was also recommended as an alternative.
The incident saw Waltz take responsibility for the incident – though not before Trump blamed a 'lower level' mystery employee. The president also suggested that Goldberg may have added himself, saying the technology allows for someone to 'get onto those things,' but without giving details.
Signalgate also resulted in a federal lawsuit against five of the cabinet members in the group chat; Vance and Hegseth, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The lawsuit, brought by the nonprofit American Oversight, asked a judge to order the cabinet member to preserve the Signal messages, claiming the use of Signal violates federal law.