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According to a report from Axios, Meta’s (NASDAQ:META) popular messaging platform WhatsApp (NASDAQ:META) has been banned on government devices for members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the House’s chief administrative officer told congressional staffers on Monday.
The report said the ban centers on the vulnerability of staffers’ data and comes as Congress is taking steps to limit the use of AI programs it deems similarly risky.
“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,” as per an email statement seen 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 email said.
The report said that the CAO has suggested Microsoft Teams (MSFT), Wickr, Signal, iMessage, and FaceTime (AAPL) as acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.
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