WhatsApp Encryption Under Fire: Lawsuit Alleges Meta Can Read Private Messages

• A class-action lawsuit in a US federal court claims WhatsApp and Meta can access users' messages despite end-to-end encryption claims.
• The lawsuit, filed on January 23 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges a 'cryptographical backdoor' allows Meta employees to view messages.
• Plaintiffs, including lawyer Alka Gaur, claim access extends to real-time message content, not just metadata, based on whistleblower information.
• Meta's past privacy controversies, like the Cambridge Analytica scandal and GDPR violations, are cited in the lawsuit.
• WhatsApp head Will Cathcart denies the allegations, calling the lawsuit 'baseless' and asserting encryption keys remain on users' phones.