Government Regulations, Data Security, Application security, Critical Infrastructure Security

House prohibits WhatsApp on staffers’ devices

The Whatsapp app logo is displayed on an iPhone on Aug. 3, 2016, in London. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Data security gaps within WhatsApp have prompted the U.S. House of Representatives to restrict the use of the Meta-owned messaging app on staffers' government-issued devices, reports The Hill.

Aside from inadequate transparency in user data protections, WhatsApp was also determined by the Office of Cybersecurity to lack any stored data encryption, as well as other possible security threats, noted House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor in an email to staffers obtained by Axios. In a later email to The Hill, Szpindor said the House-authorized apps are being routinely examined. "Protecting the People's House is our topmost priority, and we are always monitoring and analyzing for potential cybersecurity risks that could endanger the data of House Members and staff," Szpindor added. Such a directive has been vehemently opposed by WhatsApp, with spokesperson Andy Stone emphasizing default end-to-end encryption in the platform. "This is a higher level of security than most of the apps on [Szpindor's] approved list that do not offer that protection," Stone said.

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