BIS Ends Probe Into Meta WhatsApp Message Access

A special agent with the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security conducted a nearly 10-month investigation into allegations that Meta Platforms can access the contents of encrypted WhatsApp messages, only for the probe to be abruptly terminated by senior agency leadership earlier this year.

The inquiry, internally known as Operation Sourced Encryption, began in 2025 following claims raised by a whistleblower to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024. The agent, from the Bureau's Office of Export Enforcement, spent months collecting documents and interviewing witnesses, including content moderators who worked through contractor Accenture. Two individuals told the agent they had broad access to WhatsApp messages during their moderation duties. The agent also described a tiered permissions system in place at Meta since at least 2019, which reportedly extended to employees, contractors, and overseas workers in India.

On January 16, 2026, the agent emailed preliminary findings to more than a dozen officials across federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and SEC. "There is no limit to the type of WhatsApp message that can be viewed by Meta....