New Delhi: A fresh legal battle in the United States has pushed WhatsApp’s encryption claims back into the spotlight, with senior tech voices now weighing in publicly. The case raises questions around how secure user messages really are, even as Meta continues to defend its platform.
The issue gained traction after a class action lawsuit alleged that WhatsApp may allow internal access to user messages. The claims have triggered reactions from Elon Musk and Telegram founder Pavel Durov, turning a legal dispute into a wider industry debate on privacy and trust.
Can’t trust WhatsApp https://t.co/Ts55gVXqkD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2026
Lawsuit challenges WhatsApp’s encryption claims
The complaint, filed in California federal court, accuses Meta Platforms, WhatsApp, and partners including Accenture of intercepting and accessing private user messages without consent.
According to the filing, “Whistleblowers have informed federal investigators that Meta employees and third party contractors had ‘broad access to the substance of WhatsApp messages that were supposed to be encrypted and inaccessible.”
The plaintiffs claim that WhatsApp’s marketing around end to end encryption does not reflect how the system works in practice. The lawsuit alleges that messages may be “intercepted, read, stored, accessed and or viewed” without clear disclosure to users.
Industry reactions add pressure on Meta
Elon Musk reacted to the developments on X, posting, “Can’t trust WhatsApp.” His comment, though brief, amplified concerns already circulating in the tech community.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov took a stronger position. He described WhatsApp’s encryption as “the biggest consumer fraud in history,” and added, “Despite its claims, it reads users’ messages and shares them with third parties.” He further stated Telegram has “never done this — and never will.”
These responses have widened the conversation beyond the courtroom, drawing attention from users, developers, and policy watchers.
The claims in this lawsuit are categorically false and absurd. WhatsApp has been end-to-end encrypted using the Signal protocol for a decade so your messages cannot be read by anyone other than the sender and recipient.
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) April 9, 2026
WhatsApp denies allegations, cites Signal protocol
WhatsApp has rejected the claims and defended its encryption model. Responding publicly, the company said, “The claims in this lawsuit are categorically false and absurd.”
The platform reiterated that it relies on end-to-end encryption built on the Signal protocol. According to WhatsApp, this setup ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages, and no third party, including the company itself, has access.
What comes next
The case is ongoing, and no legal conclusion has been reached. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and legal remedies under multiple privacy and data protection laws.