Catherine Szpindor, the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, announced the ban of WhatsApp from government phones. This decision was backed by the Office of Cybersecurity, citing the app's high-risk status due to inadequacies in user data protection, encryption issues, and transparency concerns. Employees using government devices are prohibited from using the app under a newly issued memo. In contrast, WhatsApp has pushed back against these claims, emphasizing its security features, yet acknowledging inherent privacy risks that users should mitigate.
The Office of Cybersecurity deemed WhatsApp a high-risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data and potential security risks.
WhatsApp's transparency issue, the absence of stored data encryption, and potential risks have led to the decision to ban it on government devices.
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