Texas Sues Meta and WhatsApp Over Claims of Misleading Users on Encryption

The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Thursday sued WhatsApp and its parent company Meta Platforms Inc, alleging they misled consumers about the strength and scope of WhatsApp’s encryption features, claims which a Meta spokesman has denied.

The lawsuit, filed in Harrison County court, says WhatsApp and Meta falsely assure users that messages are encrypted while allegedly retaining access to “virtually all” private communications on the messaging app.

“WhatsApp markets its services as secure and encrypted, but it does not deliver on those promises,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement.

Meta spokesman Andy Stone said on social media that the allegations are false and that WhatsApp cannot access users’ encrypted communications.

The lawsuit seeks a court order preventing Meta and WhatsApp from accessing Texans’ WhatsApp messages without consent, as well as monetary penalties.

It also cites news reports about a federal investigation into claims that Meta had access to unencrypted WhatsApp messages, alongside a whistleblower report submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the case forms part of the state’s wider consumer protection enforcement strategy.

Paxton’s office has previously filed similar data privacy cases against major technology firms, including Google, which agreed in May 2025 to pay $1.375 billion to settle allegations of violating users’ data privacy.

On May 11, his office also filed a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming platform of spying on children and other consumers by collecting data without consent and designing its service to be addictive.

Netflix has denied the allegations, saying the case is based on inaccurate and distorted information.

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