2025-09-08T20:25:00Z

What if the app you use to chat every day was quietly putting your private data at risk—on a massive scale? That’s exactly what a bombshell lawsuit is claiming, and the whistleblower at its center says billions could be affected.

Welcome to an AI generated newscast about WhatsApp’s cybersecurity crisis—a story that dives deep into the underbelly of digital privacy in the world’s most-used messaging app. Attaullah Baig, once the head of security for WhatsApp from 2021 to 2025, has dropped a legal bombshell on Meta, the tech giant formerly known as Facebook. His lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court, alleges Meta not only brushed off glaring security flaws but actively retaliated against him for raising the alarm.

According to Baig, the security lapses were staggering: around 1,500 engineers had what he describes as ‘unrestricted access’ to sensitive user data. That means names, photos, and even IP addresses could be moved, copied, or even stolen with basically no one noticing—no audit trail, no digital fingerprints left behind. This is especially explosive when you remember Meta’s $5 billion fine in 2020 for previous data privacy violations linked to the notorious Cambridge Analytica scandal. The company is still under a strict government order that runs until 2040, all because of earlier failures to protect user data.

But Baig says things didn’t improve. He claims that Meta not only failed to fix these glaring vulnerabilities, but also ignored his desperate pleas to address ongoing hacks—such as the daily takeover of 100,000 user accounts. Instead, he alleges, the company focused on user growth at any cost, leaving WhatsApp’s digital defenses wide open. And when Baig tried bringing these issues to senior leaders—yes, including WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart and even CEO Mark Zuckerberg—he says he was met with silence, negative evaluations, and eventually shown the door in February 2025.

Meta’s response? On Threads (Meta’s own social platform), spokesperson Andy Stone claimed Baig was simply a disgruntled ex-employee, dismissed for poor performance, now twisting the story. But Baig is no security rookie. Before joining Meta, he held cybersecurity posts at heavyweights like PayPal and Capital One, and he says he also tried alerting federal regulators before filing this high-profile lawsuit.

This AI generated newscast about WhatsApp’s cybersecurity drama comes as Meta faces mounting scrutiny over its handling of user data across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—platforms used by billions worldwide. With Baig seeking reinstatement, back pay, and regulatory action, the case could spark yet another government crackdown or even reshape how Big Tech treats your data.

As the legal battle heats up, one thing’s clear: The next time you send a message, you might want to ask—who else could be reading?