The U.S. House of Representatives has banned Meta-owned WhatsApp from all official devices, citing major security and data protection concerns.

In a memo sent to House staff on Monday, the Office of Cybersecurity labeled the popular messaging platform a “high risk” app, pointing to a lack of transparency in how user data is protected, the absence of stored data encryption, and other potential vulnerabilities.

The directive, issued by the chief administrative officer, urges House staff to use alternative messaging apps such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Wickr, Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime, or the encrypted platform Signal.

Meta strongly pushed back against the decision. A company spokesperson said the platform offers stronger security protections than many of the alternatives now being recommended.

The move comes months after WhatsApp confirmed in January that an Israeli spyware firm, Paragon Solutions, had allegedly targeted several of its users—including journalists and members of civil society.

The House has previously restricted the use of other apps on official devices. In 2022, TikTok was banned over similar national security concerns.