Elon Musk and Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised WhatsApp after a US lawsuit alleged the platform accessed private chats despite encryption claims. Durov called it a “consumer fraud,” while Musk said users “can’t trust WhatsApp” and urged a shift to X Chat, intensifying scrutiny of Meta’s messaging privacy practices.

Tech titans Elon Musk and Telegram CEO Pavel Durov have launched scathing attacks on WhatsApp's privacy practices following explosive allegations in a US class action lawsuit that claims the Meta-owned messaging platform has been secretly accessing users' private conversations.

Telegram CEO calls WhatsApp encryption 'biggest consumer fraud in history'

In a social media post, Telegram founder Pavel Durov declared that WhatsApp's encryption claims may represent the biggest consumer fraud in history, alleging the platform deceives billions of users by reading their messages and sharing them with third parties despite marketing itself as secure.

Durov emphasised that Telegram has never engaged in such practices and never will, positioning his platform as a trustworthy alternative in the wake of the controversy.