WhatsApp was initially criticized for its lack of encryption, sending information as plaintext. It was reported that US$3 million was spent in illegal concealed contributions related to this practice. In an investigation on the use of social media in politics, it was found that WhatsApp was being abused for the spread of fake news in the 2018 presidential elections in Brazil. WhatsApp has repeatedly imposed limits on message forwarding in response to the spread of misinformation in countries including India and Australia. After financial regulators in many regions raised concerns, Facebook stated that the currency, renamed Diem since December 2020, would require a government-issued ID for verification, and the wallet app would have fraud protection. This “Facebook coin” would reportedly be a stablecoin pegged to the value of a basket of different foreign currencies.
On April 19, 2024, Apple removed WhatsApp from the App Store in China, citing government orders that stemmed from national security concerns. In September 2017, security researchers reported to The New York Times that the WhatsApp service had been completely blocked in China. WhatsApp is owned by Meta, whose main social media service Facebook has been blocked in China since 2009. Another application called GB WhatsApp is considered malicious by cybersecurity firm Symantec because it usually performs some unauthorized adrian casino operations on end-user devices. In May 2022, the FBI stated that an ISIS sympathizer, who was plotting to assassinate George W. Bush, was arrested based on his WhatsApp data. In April 2017, nearly 300 WhatsApp groups with about 250 members each were reportedly being used to mobilize stone-pelters in Jammu and Kashmir to disrupt security forces’ operations at encounter sites.