WhatsApp Banned For UN Officials Due To Security Concerns
A United Nations spokesman stated that the UN officials have been barred from using WhatsApp for communication purposes as they find it an unsecured channel.
The statement came after UN officials accused Saudi Arabia of hacking the smartphone of Washington Post owner and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos through WhatsApp.
The UN expert also said they have relevant information that throws light on the involvement of Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in the hacking of Bezos’ phone.
Based on a forensic report created by FTI consulting, the United Nations called for an investigation by the US and other significant authorities. The reports stated that Jeff Bezos’ iPhone was hacked via a malicious video file sent from a WhatsApp account used by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
On being asked whether UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres established communication with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia or any of the world leaders using WhatsApp, officials denied the same.
UN Spokesman Farhan Haq stated that all the senior officials of the United Nations have been asked not to use WhatsApp as it is considered as an insecure channel to communicate.
He concluded his statement by saying that as per the guidelines stated by the UN, he firmly believes that the secretary-general does not use WhatsApp, and the United Nations had instructed all members to avoid using WhatsApp back in June 2019.
On the other hand, WhatsApp mentioned that it considers user security and privacy very seriously as compared to other social networking apps.
Digital Security Expert, Oded Vanunu said that every app has a flaw which can be exploited by professional hackers in some way or the other. He concluded his statement by saying that WhatsApp’s security policies are still a dream for many other social media apps.
