The United States House of Representatives has officially banned Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp from all House-issued devices, citing security risks.

A memo sent to congressional staff on Monday instructed that the messaging app be removed from all government phones, computers, and web platforms.

The notice said the “Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”

A memo from the chief administrative officer advised staff to switch to alternative messaging apps, including Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.

Meta strongly opposed the decision, with a spokesperson arguing that WhatsApp offers stronger security than the approved alternatives.

In January, a WhatsApp official disclosed that the Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions had targeted numerous users, including journalists and civil society actors.

The House has also banned other apps in the past over security concerns, such as TikTok, which was removed from staff devices in 2022.