The US House od Representative's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) informed Congressional staffers that messaging app WhatsApp is banned on their government devices. According to a report by Axios, Facebook-parent Meta’s WhatsApp messaging platform has been added to a list of apps banned from government-issued devices for congressional staffers in the US House of Representatives . The move is said to be driven by concerns about the WhatsApp's data security.
The ban, which centers on the vulnerability of staffers' data, comes as Congress is also taking steps to limit the use of AI programmes it deems similarly risky. The Chief Administrative Officer (COA) has in recent years set at least partial bans on DeepSeek, ByteDance apps and Microsoft Copilot. It has also reportedly heavily restricted staffers' use of ChatGPT, instructing offices to only use the paid version, ChatGPT Plus.
The CAO email also offers alternative messaging apps that employees can use. It said that Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, Apple iMessage and Apple FaceTime are all acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.
What CAO said on adding WhatsApp to 'ban list'
“Protecting the People’s House is our topmost priority, and we are always monitoring and analyzing for potential cybersecurity risks that could endanger the data of House Members and staff,” Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said in a statement. “We routinely review the list of House-authorized apps and will amend the list as deemed appropriate.”
What CAO's email to employees says
"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 the 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 memo added. It further said that employees who have WhatsApp on their devices will be asked to delete it. "If you have a WhatsApp application on your House-managed device, you will be contacted to remove it," the email said.
It email also warns employees to be wary of potential phishing scams and texts from unknown numbers.
The WhatsApp ban is the latest in a series of conflicts between the Meta and the US government. Meta is still awaiting a ruling by a federal judge in the US Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against the company that seeks to break it up for being an alleged monopoly
The ban, which centers on the vulnerability of staffers' data, comes as Congress is also taking steps to limit the use of AI programmes it deems similarly risky. The Chief Administrative Officer (COA) has in recent years set at least partial bans on DeepSeek, ByteDance apps and Microsoft Copilot. It has also reportedly heavily restricted staffers' use of ChatGPT, instructing offices to only use the paid version, ChatGPT Plus.
The CAO email also offers alternative messaging apps that employees can use. It said that Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, Apple iMessage and Apple FaceTime are all acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.
What CAO said on adding WhatsApp to 'ban list'
“Protecting the People’s House is our topmost priority, and we are always monitoring and analyzing for potential cybersecurity risks that could endanger the data of House Members and staff,” Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said in a statement. “We routinely review the list of House-authorized apps and will amend the list as deemed appropriate.”
What CAO's email to employees says
"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 the 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 memo added. It further said that employees who have WhatsApp on their devices will be asked to delete it. "If you have a WhatsApp application on your House-managed device, you will be contacted to remove it," the email said.
It email also warns employees to be wary of potential phishing scams and texts from unknown numbers.
The WhatsApp ban is the latest in a series of conflicts between the Meta and the US government. Meta is still awaiting a ruling by a federal judge in the US Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against the company that seeks to break it up for being an alleged monopoly
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