Texas has taken Meta and its messaging platform WhatsApp to court over claims that the app may not be as private as millions of users believe. Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused the company of misleading people by promoting WhatsApp as a fully secure messaging service while allegedly allowing access to user communications in certain situations. The lawsuit has triggered a fresh debate around digital privacy and whether large technology companies are being fully honest about how protected user conversations really are. WhatsApp’s promise of end-to-end encryption has long been one of its biggest selling points. Texas now argues that those claims created a false sense of trust among users across the state and beyond.
According to the lawsuit, WhatsApp has repeatedly advertised that messages exchanged on the platform can only be viewed by the sender and the receiver. The company has often stated that even WhatsApp itself cannot read those chats because of end-to-end encryption.
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However, the complaint filed by Texas claims that reports, internal accounts and investigations suggest otherwise. The state alleges that certain employees may have had access to user communications and that message content could be retrieved even after messages were sent. Texas argues that this directly conflicts with the company’s public claims about privacy and security.
Paxton said Texans deserve clarity about whether their personal conversations are actually private. He accused Meta and WhatsApp of misleading users and unlawfully accessing private data while continuing to market the app as secure.
The lawsuit has been filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Texas is asking the court to stop Meta and WhatsApp from accessing messages belonging to users in the state without permission. It is also seeking financial penalties.
However, Meta has denied all the allegations made in the claim. Andy Stone, the company spokesperson, said that the claims made in the lawsuit are false and insisted that WhatsApp cannot access users’ encrypted conversations.
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The legal fight adds to a growing list of privacy-related actions taken by Texas against major technology and media companies. In recent months, the state has also moved against Netflix and reached a settlement with electronics giant LG over consumer data concerns. Not only that but the case is also expected to intensify the discussions around online privacy and how much control the users truly have over their digital conversations.