New lawsuit questions how private WhatsApp messages really are

WhatsApp has long sold itself on one simple promise, your chats are private. The app reminds you at the top of every conversation that messages are end-to-end encrypted and that not even WhatsApp can read them. But a fresh lawsuit against Meta is now questioning whether that promise holds up as cleanly as users believe. Also Read: Free Apps Worth Installing on Every Phone

According to a Bloomberg report, an international group of WhatsApp users has filed a lawsuit in a US court, accusing Meta of misleading people about how private their messages actually are. Also Read: WhatsApp groups could soon let admins share recent chats with new members

What the lawsuit is claiming

The complaint alleges that Meta and WhatsApp store, analyse, and can access a large portion of user communications, despite marketing the platform as fully private. That’s a serious claim, especially because WhatsApp’s entire trust factor is built around end-to-end encryption.

The lawsuit includes users from multiple countries, including India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and South Africa, making this a global issue rather than a local legal fight. The plaintiffs argue that WhatsApp’s privacy messaging does not fully reflect how the system works behind the scenes.

The filing also refers to whistleblower information, suggesting internal insights may have influenced the case, though details around this remain unclear for now.

Meta’s response?

Meta has strongly rejected the allegations. A company spokesperson has reportedly called the lawsuit “frivolous” and said the company plans to fight it aggressively. Meta maintains that WhatsApp messages have been protected using the Signal encryption protocol for nearly a decade, and insists that claims suggesting otherwise are “categorically false.”

At this stage, it’s important to remember that this is a legal claim, not a verdict.

So, should users be worried right now?

Not immediately. WhatsApp chats are still end-to-end encrypted by default, and there is no official finding that proves Meta can read message content.

However, this case highlights a reality many users overlook: privacy is more than just encryption. Cloud backups, metadata, screenshots, forwarded messages, and even compromised devices can still expose conversations, regardless of how strong encryption is.