WhatsApp refutes Elon Musk’s allegations around message access: “Totally false...”

WhatsApp has responded to claims that Meta can read private messages on the platform, saying the allegations are false. The response came after Elon Musk questioned WhatsApp’s security in a post on X, which drew attention to the issue and prompted a clarification from the company. Also Read: How to Hide and Lock WhatsApp Chats Easily

What Triggered the Response

The issue surfaced after Musk posted that WhatsApp is “not secure” and encouraged users to use X’s messaging features instead. The post quickly gained attention, especially as it came amid an ongoing lawsuit filed in the US that questions WhatsApp’s long-standing claims around end-to-end encryption. Also Read: Elon Musk’s X under EU investigation after reports of Grok AI sexual deepfakes

In response, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said the allegations were false. He stated that neither WhatsApp nor its parent company Meta can read users’ messages.

This is totally false. WhatsApp can’t read messages because the encryption keys are stored on your phone and we don’t have access to them. This is a no-merit, headline-seeking lawsuit brought by the very same firm defending NSO after their spyware attacked journalists and…

— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) January 27, 2026

WhatsApp’s Explanation on Encryption

According to WhatsApp, all personal chats on the platform are protected by end-to-end encryption using the Signal protocol. This means messages are encrypted on the sender’s device before being sent and can only be decrypted on the recipient’s device.

Cathcart said the encryption keys are stored on users’ phones and are not accessible to WhatsApp or Meta. As a result, even the company itself cannot read message contents, whether in transit or stored on servers.

WhatsApp has used this encryption system for nearly a decade and has repeatedly stated that private messages remain private, regardless of Meta’s ownership of the platform.

Lawsuit Allegations and WhatsApp’s Pushback

The discussion has gained fresh traction following a lawsuit filed in a US District Court. The case alleges that Meta employees are able to bypass WhatsApp’s encryption using internal tools. The complaint claims employees can access messages in near real time using internal tools and user identifiers.

WhatsApp and Meta have strongly denied these claims. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone described the lawsuit as baseless and said it relies on unnamed sources without technical proof. He also pointed out that the legal firm behind the case has previously represented spyware company NSO Group.

WhatsApp has said the lawsuit misrepresents how the platform works and does not provide evidence to support its claims.

What WhatsApp Can Still See

WhatsApp has reiterated that the contents of messages remain inaccessible. The company has said earlier that while it cannot read user chats, it may collect limited metadata in some cases. This includes information such as who a user contacted and when, depending on regional rules and policies. WhatsApp has clarified that this metadata is separate from message content and does not allow anyone to view the actual messages exchanged.

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The company said it continues to stand by its encryption model and that claims suggesting otherwise are incorrect.