WhatsApp backdoor allows snooping on encrypted messages

Exclusive: Privacy campaigners criticise WhatsApp vulnerability as a 'huge threat to freedom of speech' and warn it could be exploited by government agencies

A security backdoor that can be used to allow Facebook and others to intercept and read encrypted messages has been found within its WhatsApp messaging service.

Facebook claims that no one can intercept WhatsApp messages, not even the company and its staff, ensuring privacy for its billion-plus users. But new research shows that the company could in fact read messages due to the way WhatsApp has implemented its end-to-end encryption protocol.