"Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity executive says Meta endangered billions of users in new suit" 8 September 2025

A former top cybersecurity executive at WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that parent company Meta disregarded internal flaws in the app’s digital defenses and exposed billions of its users. He says the company systematically violated cybersecurity regulations and retaliated against him for reporting the failures.

Attaullah Baig, who served as the head of security for WhatsApp from 2021 to 2025, claims that approximately 1,500 engineers had unrestricted access to user data without proper oversight, potentially violating a US government order that imposed a $5bn penalty on the company in 2020.

He also claimed the company failed to remedy the hacking and takeover of more than 100,000 accounts each day, ignoring his pleas and proposed fixes and choosing instead to prioritize user growth. The lawsuit, filed in US federal court in San Francisco, alleges Facebook owner Meta failed to implement basic cybersecurity measures, including adequate data handling and breach detection capabilities...

...Baig alleges he faced escalating retaliation after his initial reports in 2021, including negative performance reviews, verbal warnings and ultimately termination in February 2025 for apparent “poor performance”...In his whistleblower complaint, Baig is requesting reinstatement, back pay and compensatory damages, along with potential regulatory enforcement action against the company...

...WhatsApp’s vice-president of communications, Carl Woog, wrote in a statement: “Sadly this is a familiar playbook in which a former employee is dismissed for poor performance and then goes public with distorted claims that misrepresent the ongoing hard work of our team.”..