On Thursday, Elon Musk once again targeted Meta Platforms, Inc.’s WhatsApp after reacting to allegations that the platform accessed private messages without user consent.<\/p>\n
Musk Questions WhatsApp<\/p>\n
“Can’t trust WhatsApp,” Musk wrote on X, sharing a report about a new class action against the instant messaging platform.<\/p>\n
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WhatsApp’s official X handle responded to Musk’s post, saying, “The claims in this lawsuit are categorically false and absurd.”<\/p>\n
The platform added that it has relied on end-to-end encryption powered by the Signal protocol for years, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can access messages.<\/p>\n
The claims in this lawsuit are categorically false and absurd. WhatsApp has been end-to-end encrypted using the Signal protocol for a decade so your messages cannot be read by anyone other than the sender and recipient.<\/p>\n
\u2014 WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Trending:\u00a0Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your \u2018Safe’ Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time<\/a><\/p>\n Telegram’s Pavel Durov Escalates Criticism<\/p>\n Telegram founder Pavel Durov joined in alleging that the platform misleads users about its security, calling its encryption “the biggest consumer fraud in history.”<\/p>\n He further said, “Despite its claims, it reads users’ messages and shares them with third parties,” adding that Telegram has “never done this \u2014 and never will.”<\/p>\n WhatsApp’s “encryption” may be the biggest consumer fraud in history \u2014 deceiving billions of users. Despite its claims, it reads users’ messages and shares them with third parties. Telegram has never done this \u2014 and never will \ud83e\udd1d pic.twitter.com\/2DYguybgoU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pavel Durov (@durov) April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.<\/p>\n See Also:\u00a0Skip the Regrets: The Essential Retirement Tips Experts Wish Everyone Knew Earlier.<\/a><\/p>\n Privacy Debate Extends Beyond Messages<\/p>\n The lawsuit in question alleges that while Meta has widely promoted WhatsApp as a secure, end-to-end encrypted platform, only users can access their conversations.<\/p>\n However, the company’s employees, along with Ireland-based firm Accenture and potentially other third parties, may be able to access messages without users’ knowledge through a purported “backdoor” in the app’s code.<\/p>\n The complaint claims this mechanism enables internal staff or contractors to bypass encryption protections and view private user communications.<\/p>\n In January 2026, another lawsuit claimed that Meta misleadingly promotes WhatsApp as a fully end-to-end encrypted service. At the time, Meta denied the allegations, describing the lawsuit as “frivolous.”<\/p>\n Read Next:\u00a0Thinking about ETFs? See what investment risks you should be aware of before you buy.<\/a><\/p>\n Photo: Shutterstock\/Joshua Sukoff<\/p>\n Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge’s one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights<\/a> that can set you ahead in today’s competitive market.<\/p>\n Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga:<\/p>\n