New Delhi | 27 January 2026

A fresh debate over digital privacy has emerged after Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, was sued in the United States over claims that it misled users about message security. The lawsuit has drawn strong reactions from tech leaders Elon Musk and Telegram founder Pavel Durov, both of whom openly questioned WhatsApp’s privacy assurances and reignited concerns around encrypted messaging platforms.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov reacted sharply on X, stating that Telegram had earlier studied WhatsApp’s encryption system and found “multiple attack vectors.” He went on to say, “You’d have to be braindead to believe WhatsApp is secure in 2026.” Elon Musk echoed the criticism by reposting content linked to whistleblower allegations against Meta and wrote, “WhatsApp is not secure. Even Signal is questionable. Use X Chat,” casting doubt on other popular messaging services as well.

Their comments followed a Bloomberg report about a lawsuit filed in a US District Court in San Francisco. The case accuses Meta Platforms of falsely claiming that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption prevents the company from accessing user messages. According to the lawsuit, Meta stores and analyses user communications despite assurances that only senders and receivers can read them. The case has been filed by an international group of plaintiffs from countries including India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico and South Africa, and is based on claims made by unnamed whistleblowers.

Meta has firmly rejected the allegations, calling the lawsuit “frivolous.” A company spokesperson said the suggestion that WhatsApp messages are not encrypted is “categorically false and absurd,” adding that the service has relied on end-to-end encryption for nearly a decade. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart also responded directly to Musk’s post, saying, “This is totally false. WhatsApp can’t read messages because the encryption keys are stored on your phone and we don’t have access to them.” He further described the case as “a no-merit, headline-seeking lawsuit,” stressing that user privacy remains a core part of WhatsApp’s design.

 Tech Titans Clash Over WhatsApp Privacy After Lawsuit Shakes Meta

A new controversy around online privacy has started after Meta was sued in the United States over claims that WhatsApp misled users about how secure their messages really are. The case has sparked strong reactions from well-known tech figures and has once again raised questions about the safety of popular messaging apps.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov openly criticised WhatsApp, saying his team had earlier studied its system and found “multiple attack vectors.” He added, “You’d have to be braindead to believe WhatsApp is secure in 2026.” Elon Musk also joined the debate by sharing posts linked to whistleblower claims and writing, “WhatsApp is not secure. Even Signal is questionable. Use X Chat.”

The lawsuit, reported by Bloomberg, was filed in a US court in San Francisco and accuses Meta of falsely claiming that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption keeps messages completely private. According to the case, Meta can still store, analyse and access user messages. The plaintiffs come from several countries, including India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico and South Africa.

Meta has strongly denied all allegations, calling the lawsuit “frivolous.” A company spokesperson said the claims are “categorically false and absurd.” Responding to Musk, WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart said, “This is totally false. WhatsApp can’t read messages because the encryption keys are stored on your phone and we don’t have access to them,” dismissing the case as “a no-merit, headline-seeking lawsuit.”