Meta Platforms’ (META) WhatsApp Banned from U.S. Government Devices

Meta Platforms’ (META) popular WhatsApp has been banned from U.S. federal government devices.

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the U.S. House of Representatives told staffers on June 23 that they are not allowed to use Meta’s popular messaging app. The CAO cited a lack of transparency about WhatsApp’s data privacy and security practices as the reason for the ban.

House staffers have been told that they are not allowed to download WhatsApp on their government devices or access the app on their smartphones or desktop computers, according to an email that has been leaked to the media. Staff members were told to immediately remove WhatsApp from their devices.

Encrypted App?

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone took to social media to stress that the technology giant strongly disagrees “with the House Chief Administrative Officer’s characterization in the strongest possible terms.” Stone wrote: “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.”

In a post on social media platform X, Stone wrote that WhatsApp is encrypted and offers a “higher level of security than most of the apps on the CAO’s approved list that do not offer that protection.” Messaging apps that the CAO said are acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp include Microsoft (MSFT) Teams, Signal, and Apple’s (AAPL) iMessage.

Meta is currently embroiled in an antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the social media company’s acquisitions of both WhatsApp and Instagram. Recently, Meta Platforms debuted ads on WhatsApp in an effort to monetize the app. META stock is up 19% this year.

Is META Stock a Buy?

The stock of Meta Platforms has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 46 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 42 Buy, three Hold, and one Sell recommendations issued in the past three months. The average META price target of $707.16 implies 3.64% upside from current levels.

Read more analyst ratings on META stock