Meta’s WhatsApp banned on House employees’ devices, Axios reports

Meta’s (META) WhatsApp is now banned from congressional staffers’ government devices, The U.S. House’s chief administrative officer informed employees on Monday, Andrew Solender of Axios reports. “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 an 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 CAO said that Microsoft Teams (MSFT), iMessage (AAPL), FaceTime, Wickr, and Signal, are acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.