A US federal judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that Meta can access users’ encrypted WhatsApp messages despite the platform’s end-to-end encryption protections.
US District Judge Rita Lin dismissed the case after finding that the plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient information to support allegations attributed to unidentified whistleblowers. However, the plaintiffs were given an opportunity to amend and refile their complaint.
What Did the Lawsuit Allege?
The case was brought by users from several countries, including Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.
They alleged that although WhatsApp is marketed as a private and secure messaging service protected by end-to-end encryption, Meta had unlawfully intercepted, accessed and stored users’ private communications.
The plaintiffs also claimed that some Meta employees could access message content, citing information allegedly provided by whistleblowers whose identities were not disclosed.
Judge Finds Insufficient Detail
Judge Lin concluded that the complaint did not contain enough information explaining how the alleged whistleblowers obtained their knowledge, leaving the claims insufficiently supported to proceed in their current form.
The dismissal, however, does not necessarily end the dispute. The plaintiffs have been allowed to address the deficiencies and file an amended complaint with additional details.
Their attorney, Adam Wolfson, said they intend to provide further information supporting the whistleblowers’ alleged testimony.
Meta Rejects the Allegations
Meta strongly rejected the claims, maintaining that allegations suggesting WhatsApp messages are not encrypted are categorically false.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, which is designed so that the content of ordinary private messages and calls can only be accessed by the sender and intended recipient while being transmitted.
Court Declines to Sanction Plaintiffs
Although the lawsuit was dismissed, the judge also rejected Meta’s request to sanction the plaintiffs for pursuing what the company characterized as a baseless case.
The judge found that the evidence submitted by Meta did not conclusively rule out the possibility that the whistleblower allegations could be true.
The ruling therefore does not establish that Meta can access encrypted WhatsApp messages. Instead, it finds that the plaintiffs have not yet provided sufficient factual support for their allegations, while leaving the door open for an amended complaint.
