Attorney General Ken Paxton Files Lawsuit Against Meta and WhatsApp Over Privacy and Encryption Claims

Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Meta and its messaging platform WhatsApp, alleging the company misled consumers about the privacy and security of its messaging services.

According to the lawsuit, WhatsApp marketed itself as a secure messaging platform using end-to-end encryption, assuring users that only senders and recipients could access message contents. The Attorney General’s Office claims those representations led millions of users to believe their communications were completely private and inaccessible to third parties.

The lawsuit alleges that investigations and insider accounts indicate WhatsApp employees may have been able to access certain user communications. Additional reports cited in the filing claim that message content could potentially be retrieved and viewed after messages were sent, contradicting the company’s public privacy assurances.

“Texans deserve to know whether their private communications are indeed truly private,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton. “WhatsApp markets its services as secure and encrypted, but it does not deliver on those promises. I am suing to protect Texans’ privacy and ensure that WhatsApp by Meta does not mislead Texans by unlawfully accessing private conversations and data.”

The lawsuit was filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA) and is part of a broader effort by the Attorney General’s Office focused on consumer data privacy and technology companies.

State officials noted the legal action follows other recent privacy-related enforcement efforts involving major corporations, including lawsuits and settlements connected to consumer data protection.