Elon Musk has once again taken a swipe at Meta-owned WhatsApp, saying he “can’t trust WhatsApp.” His remark comes amid a new class action lawsuit against the messaging platform. The lawsuit alleges that WhatsApp intercepted users’ private messages despite its end-to-end encryption claims. It also claims that data was shared with third parties, including Accenture.
Replying to a post on X about the lawsuit, Musk wrote, “Can’t trust WhatsApp.” In a separate post, the billionaire encouraged users to move to X Chat for messaging and voice or video calls, claiming it “comes with this great benefit of actual privacy.”
In response to Musk’s post, WhatsApp rejected the accusations, stating, “The allegations in this lawsuit are completely untrue and ridiculous. For the past ten years, WhatsApp has used end-to-end encryption based on the Signal protocol, ensuring that only the sender and the intended recipient can read the messages.”
WhatsApp states in its FAQ that its end-to-end encryption ensures only the sender and recipient can access messages, and even WhatsApp cannot read, listen to, or share them.
A Bloomberg report earlier this year claimed that US law enforcement agencies were investigating allegations that Meta could access WhatsApp messages despite its end-to-end encryption claims. The probe was reportedly led by special agents with the US Department of Commerce and followed whistleblower complaints filed in 2024.
Former WhatsApp content moderation workers told investigators that some Meta employees, as well as staff from consulting firm Accenture, had access to users’ private messages. One agent noted that workers had “unfettered access” to WhatsApp data within their physical work locations. Meta has denied all allegations.