Texas Sues Meta, WhatsApp over Encryption Privacy Claims
The suit seeks a permanent injunction and $10,000 fines per violation under Texas consumer protection law, Paxton said.
- On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp, alleging the companies misled consumers about the strength and scope of their encryption measures.
- The lawsuit, filed in Harrison County, claims WhatsApp deceives users by marketing "end-to-end encryption" while allegedly maintaining access to "virtually all" private communications on the platform.
- Brought under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the suit seeks a permanent injunction and $10,000 fine per violation; Meta spokesperson Rachel Holland denied the allegations, stating, "WhatsApp cannot access people's encrypted communications."
- This action is the latest in a series of data privacy lawsuits from the Office of the Texas Attorney General, which previously secured a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta in 2024.
- Paxton also announced an investigation into Meta Glasses over privacy concerns, continuing litigation as he pursues the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in a heated runoff against incumbent John Cornyn.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Texas AG sues Meta over claims that WhatsApp doesn't provide end-to-end encryption
The Texas Attorney General has sued Meta over allegations that the company’s WhatsApp messenger, used by more than 3 billion people, doesn’t provide the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) it has long claimed. Since at least 2016, Meta (then named Facebook) has said WhatsApp provides robust end-to-end encryption, meaning that messages are encrypted on a sender’s device with keys that are available only to the receiver's. By definition, E2EE means that …
Texas Sues Meta, WhatsApp Alleging Misleading Claims About Security Features
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., on Thursday, alleging the messaging app misleads users about its security features. The lawsuit accuses the companies of deceptive trade practices by telling users their messages on WhatsApp are securely encrypted while allegedly maintaining access to virtually all private communications. The lawsuit seeks to bar Meta and WhatsApp from accessing Texans’…
WhatsApp, Meta can access Texans’ private messages, AG Ken Paxton claims in lawsuit
By Paul Cobler, The Texas Tribune May 21, 2026 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton added WhatsApp to the growing list of companies he has accused of violating Texans’ data privacy, announcing a lawsuit against the messaging app and its parent company, Meta, on Thursday. The lawsuit states WhatsApp is deceiving its users by claiming to offer “end-to-end encryption,” or a software that conceals the contents of a message to anyone, including the comp…
America's second-biggest state Texas sues Meta; says: WhatsApp is misleading users over encryption privacy claims
Tech News News: Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas, America's second-biggest state by size, has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms and WhatsApp claiming that th.
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