As the world awaits Iran’s response to U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites, House officials have banned WhatsApp messaging on staffers devices to bolster security efforts.
The ban comes from the House’s office of Chief Administrative Officer in an alert to House staffers, Axios reported Monday.
The House has taken action on restricting other applications in the past amid threats and the use of artificial intelligence programs it deems risky, including DeepSeek, ByteDance, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT, according to the report.
“The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high-risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use,” the CAO wrote in email obtained by Axios.
“House staff are NOT allowed to download or keep the WhatsApp application on any House device, including any mobile, desktop, or web browser versions of its products.
“If you have a WhatsApp application on your House-managed device, you will be contacted to remove it.”
The alternatives for WhatsApp include Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage, and FaceTime, according to the CAO.
An ongoing threat of phishing scams was included in the alert.
Axios reportedly reached out to WhatsApp for comment.
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