Overview

• The chief administrative officer informed staff on June 23 that WhatsApp must be removed from all House-managed mobile, desktop and browser devices after a cybersecurity review flagged it as vulnerable.
• Officials pointed to opaque data-protection practices and the absence of stored data encryption in classifying WhatsApp as a high-risk application.
• House employees may continue using WhatsApp on personal devices but are required to uninstall it from government-issued equipment.
• The Office of Cybersecurity recommended Microsoft Teams, Signal, iMessage, FaceTime and Wickr as approved messaging alternatives.
• Meta has challenged the ban and there is no indication that the U.S. Senate plans to impose similar restrictions.