A United States government investigator has closed a probe into allegations that Meta Platforms could access encrypted messages on its WhatsApp platform, in a development that has raised fresh questions about the independence of regulatory oversight of major technology companies. The probe was conducted by an investigator within the Office of Export Enforcement at the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security and examined claims that some Meta employees and contractors could view the contents of encrypted WhatsApp messages. The investigation was shut down shortly after the investigator circulated preliminary findings to officials across multiple federal agencies earlier this year, according to records reviewed by Bloomberg News.
In a January email summarising findings from a 10-month investigation, internally referred to as Operation Sourced Encryption, the agent wrote that Meta stores and can view WhatsApp messages and added that there is no limit to the type of WhatsApp message that can be viewed by Meta. The investigator further alleged that the company’s conduct could involve civil and criminal violations spanning several federal jurisdictions, though he did not specify which laws may have been breached. The investigation was subsequently closed, with the report describing the decision as abrupt and directed by senior agency leadership.
Meta strongly rejected the findings. A spokesperson for Meta said the claim that WhatsApp can access people’s encrypted communications is patently false, and added that the Bureau of Industry and Security had previously dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated and confirmed that it is not investigating WhatsApp or Meta for export law violations. The company has consistently maintained that WhatsApp employs end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only participants in a conversation can access its contents and that no one outside the chat, including WhatsApp itself, can read, listen to, or share the messages. However, the investigator claimed in his email that Meta has maintained a tiered permissions system since at least 2019, allowing varying levels of access to message content, including for contractors and overseas workers, with two individuals interviewed during the investigation saying they had broad access to WhatsApp messages while performing content moderation work under contract with Accenture.
The investigation was reportedly prompted by a whistleblower complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2024, and the agent’s email was also sent to officials at the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees Meta’s privacy practices following a record $5 billion fine imposed on the company in 2019. Despite the closure of the probe, questions remain about the evidence gathered during the investigation and whether other agencies may pursue related inquiries. The abrupt shutdown of a 10-month investigation shortly after its preliminary findings were shared with multiple agencies has drawn attention from privacy advocates and legal observers, who argue that the circumstances warrant scrutiny regardless of where one stands on the underlying allegations.
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