Court dismisses former WhatsApp security chief’s lawsuit against Meta

A US court has dismissed a lawsuit from WhatsApp’s former security chief, who alleged that parent company Meta ignored internal flaws he flagged about the messaging app’s digital defenses.Abdullah Baig, who claims he was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns, had alleged that billions of users had been put at risk because of these vulnerabilities. Thousands of employees could view sensitive user data, including profile photos and location, Baig claimed in the lawsuit filed in September. A judge ruled he had not presented enough evidence to move forward.The US district court in Northern California ruled last month to dismiss Baig’s claims, with the judge, Laurel Beeler, writing on 19 March that “the complaint does not contain sufficient facts to show that the plaintiff reported violations of SEC rules or regulations.”Baig was head of WhatsApp’s security division from 2021 to 2025. He said he had expressed concerns about cybersecurity issues to his supervisor five times but was ignored; he also said he wrote directly to Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, about what he saw as a violation of US Securities and Exchange Commission rules and escalating retaliation against him. He also claimed that the company didn’t fix the hacking of more than 100,000 accounts daily – and focused instead on user growth. At the time, WhatsApp said in a statement that he was “a former employee dismissed for poor performance” who had filed a suit based on distorted claims.A WhatsApp spokesperson said: “This ruling reaffirms what we’ve said all along: These claims have no merit. We’re proud of our strong record of protecting people’s privacy and security, and will continue building on it.”Baig’s lawyer suggested in a statement emailed to the Guardian that the legal fight was not over.“Mr Baig is not done fighting for users,” said Wilmer Harris, who represents Baig. “The judge dismissed on pleading grounds, not merit, and we look forward to addressing those deficiencies and ensuring Meta has to finally engage with the substance of Mr Baig’s allegations.”