The United States has received a lawsuit against Meta which operates WhatsApp because the lawsuit claims Meta’s privacy assurances are untrue.
The plaintiffs allege that Meta and WhatsApp “store, analyse, and can access virtually all of WhatsApp users private communications.”
Meta has denied the allegations because the company considers the lawsuit to be a “frivolous work of fiction.” The company stated that any claim suggesting WhatsApp messages are not encrypted is “categorically false and absurd,” noting that the app has used end-to-end encryption based on the Signal protocol for over a decade.
The US District Court in San Francisco received a lawsuit which a group of plaintiffs from different countries, including Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, brought against the court.
The group claims that Meta has defrauded WhatsApp’s billions of users worldwide and is seeking to have the court approve the case as a class-action lawsuit, which would allow all affected users to join in the legal action.
Meta has dismissed the lawsuit, describing it as “frivolous” and announced that it plans to seek sanctions against the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, IANS reported.
A spokesperson for the company emphasized that WhatsApp’s encryption protects users’ messages, ensuring that only the sender and receiver can read them, and that no third party, including Meta, can access these messages.
WhatsApp’s founding and early growth
WhatsApp was established in 2009 through the efforts of Jan Koum and Brian Acton who were Ukrainian immigrants to the United States.
The app started as an iOS exclusive but its developers launched an Android version in 2010. WhatsApp provides strong privacy protection through its use of end-to-end encryption which enables users to send messages that only the intended recipient can read.
This feature has been one of the app’s main selling points, helping it gain trust among users worldwide.
Meta’s acquisition of WhatsApp
Facebook now called Meta acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the acquisition fit the company’s plan for Internet.org which aimed to expand online connectivity to more users.
The app achieved explosive growth which resulted in 200 million users who accessed the service every month within four years after its introduction. WhatsApp currently maintains a user base of more than 3 billion monthly active users worldwide which includes around 100 million users from the United States to become the top mobile messaging application worldwide.
The current lawsuit reflects the ongoing scrutiny of tech companies and their handling of user data. Meta maintains that WhatsApp currently provides secure and private services with complete encryption while the company expects the court to reject the case because it lacks merit.
The growth of WhatsApp demonstrates its worldwide presence and its positive effects, which people trust because of its encryption system. The company provides services to billions of users who depend on its platform for their daily communication needs despite facing multiple legal disputes.
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