Meta Sued Over Alleged WhatsApp Privacy Breach

Meta Platforms Inc. (META) was sued on Friday, January 23, 2026, in U.S. District Court in San Francisco by an international group of plaintiffs who allege the company can access and store users' supposedly private WhatsApp messages, contradicting its "end-to-end" encryption claims. The lawsuit seeks class-action certification. The complaint alleges Meta and WhatsApp "store, analyze, and can access virtually all" user communications, citing unnamed whistleblowers. Plaintiffs are from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone called the lawsuit "frivolous" and categorically false, stating WhatsApp has used end-to-end encryption for a decade and that the company will pursue sanctions against the plaintiffs' counsel.