WhatsApp's privacy promises may be seriously compromised. An ongoing investigation in the United States is looking into complaints from former Meta employees who allege that some of the company's staff had “unrestricted” access to messages exchanged on the popular messaging app, despite the end-to-end encryption the company claims to offer.
The information was reported by Bloomberg, which had access to interviews and an official report containing the testimony of these former contractors. The accounts are being investigated by special agents of the US Department of Commerce, as part of an operation called “Origin Encryption”, begun at least as early as July 2025.
According to the documents obtained by the publication, several interviews conducted by an identified agent are on record, whose work was subsequently reviewed by another assistant special agent. Sources close to the case say that, as recently as January this year, the investigation remained active, although its current status and possible targets remain unknown — something common in proceedings of this kind, which often end without any formal charge.
This is not the first time suspicions have arisen around WhatsApp's security. As early as 2024, similar complaints were made to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, although they had not been made public until now. These revelations collide with Meta's institutional discourse, which for years has made privacy a marketing banner, claiming that not even the company itself has access to the content of messages sent on the app.
In response to the new accusations, Meta again categorically denied any technical possibility of a breach of users' privacy. “What these people allege is not possible, because WhatsApp, its employees and its outsourced contractors cannot access users' encrypted communications”, said Andy Stone, a company spokesman, in a statement sent by email to Bloomberg.
Despite Meta's public assurances, investigators continue to gather evidence. The outcome of this investigation could have significant repercussions both for the company's reputation and for users' trust in encryption systems regarded until now as unbreakable.
