Texas sues Meta and WhatsApp over message privacy

Washington — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC, alleging that messages sent via the services are not actually encrypted and that employees of the app can access user communications.

‘Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC after the companies misled consumers about the strength and scope of privacy protections on the WhatsApp messaging app,’ the Attorney General’s office said, as reported by RIA Novosti on Friday (22 May).

Paxton is seeking a jury trial and is asking the court to issue orders prohibiting the defendants from accessing Texas residents’ messages without explicit user consent.

Paxton also said that the company’s claims have caused millions of users to wrongly believe that their conversations are completely private and inaccessible to third parties.

Previously, Paxton has secured a high-profile privacy settlement with a tech giant.

In 2024, he reached a deal worth US$1.4 billion with Meta over biometric data collection without consent. In 2025, Google also agreed to a settlement of US$1.375 billion over allegations of tracking and illegal collection of Texas residents’ personal data.

Source: Sputnik/RIA Novosti-OANA