this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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What's app claims E2EE but it's not really they store everything on their servers that any one of their staff can access at any point
Your cloud backups are not encrypted either, and you have to explicitly opt out of cloud backups. That means any chats or group chats that involve someone who hasn't opted out are sitting unencrypted on Meta servers, even if you personally have opted out. Even if everyone has opted out and assume it's encrypted, they still know who you're talking to, when you talk to them, how frequently, etc.
That is false.
it’s absolutely true actually… whatsapp are the key holders and there was a leak a few weeks ago that showed meta staff can access anyone’s messages: they just need to raise a ticket and they get access to an app that allows them to pull up any user they like
this is always the case unless you’re the keyholder. any app where you can “forgot password” and get your data back you aren’t the key-holder (though recovery phrases are legitimate), or login simply via phone number and an SMS MFA or similar
it’s also true for apple stuff - despite being similarly encrypted - but they’ve at least on the surface displayed a willingness to protect user data from external threats
There was no leak. It was an ex employee who claimed that others were able to access everyone's messages.
so… whistleblower
… that’s called a leak mate
Regardless, the app is proprietary. You shouldn't trust it.