Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Meta that its WhatsApp messenger fails to deliver the end‑to‑end encryption it markets. The complaint claims the platform can read users’ plaintext messages despite the Signal protocol‑based encryption Meta has promoted since 2016. It also demands an injunction.

Meta responded that the allegations are “baseless” and vowed to contest the case in court. Technologists note that independent reverse‑engineering in 2023 gave WhatsApp a clean bill of health, confirming the Signal protocol’s integrity while flagging a minor group‑chat design flaw. The suit claims Meta employees receive decrypted user reports, which Meta denies.

Critics argue the suit resembles political posturing as Paxton seeks a Senate seat, but it also revives concerns over Meta’s privacy track record. For consumers, the case underscores the difficulty of verifying encryption claims in closed‑source apps. Legal scholars say the case could set precedent for state privacy challenges.