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Former Meta Security Head Files Lawsuit Over WhatsApp Security Flaws
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Meta’s former head of security for WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Monday, alleging that the tech giant has been ignoring major security vulnerabilities on the platform. The whistleblower said the flaws put millions of users at risk.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- The former head of security for WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Monday against Meta.
- Ex-employee Attaullah Baig claims Meta has been ignoring major security vulnerabilities affecting millions of users.
- The whistleblower also warned U.S. authorities, including the FTC and the SEC.
According to the New York Times , the ex-employee Attaullah Baig filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming that Meta has actively avoided addressing critical security issues.
Baig says Meta employees can access users’ sensitive data, including location, contact list, and profile pictures. He added that during his time at Meta, he warned company leaders, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but was dismissed and later fired in February. Baig had joined the company in 2021.
“There are just so many harms that the users face,” said Baig in an interview with the New York Times last week. “This is about holding Meta accountable and putting the interests of users first.”
The whistleblower also warned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about the critical vulnerabilities. Baig is being represented in court by the organization Psst.org, along with a team of lawyers.
A spokesperson from WhatsApp, Carl Woog, told the New York Times that the claims are not true. “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,” said Woog. “Security is an adversarial space, and we pride ourselves in building on our strong record of protecting people’s privacy.”
Another organization, Whistleblower Aid, also filed a complaint against Meta, along with six employees, claiming that the social media platform violates child safety regulations. A few days ago, the tech giant was also accused of allowing chatbots to engage in sensual and inappropriate conversations with children .
Baig is not the only former Meta employee who openly and publicly accuses the company of wrongdoing. A few months ago, a former Facebook director, Sarah Wynn-Williams, accused Zuckerberg of power abuse and shared details in her memoir Careless People.
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Mistral Raises $2 Billion With ASML As Top Investor
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The French AI company Mistral has allegedly raised $2.45 billion in a recent Series C funding round, led by the Dutch company ASML, which committed 1.3 billion euros to the fundraise. Mistral is becoming Europe’s most valuable AI company.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Mistral has allegedly raised $2.45 billion in a recent Series C funding round, led by the Dutch company ASML.
- ASML committed 1.3 billion euros to the fundraising.
- Mistral could reach a $14 billion valuation, becoming Europe’s most valuable AI company.
According to a Reuters exclusive published on Sunday, anonymous sources said ASML—known for its machines crucial to chipmaking—is expected to get a board seat at Mistral if the deal closes, as it would become its largest investor. The details of the negotiations have not yet been publicly disclosed, but people familiar with the matter said this round will make Mistral the most valuable AI company in Europe.
The new alliance would make Europe less reliant on U.S. and Chinese AI models. Mistral, which launched its first reasoning AI model, Magistral , in June, competes with frontier models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The new funding could help the French AI startup accelerate the development of its technology, while ASML could leverage Mistral’s AI and data analytics capabilities to improve its tools and enhance performance.
ASML is the only company in the world that produces and sells extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, crucial for the mass production of advanced chips for AI models.
After its Series B funding last year, Mistral—founded in 2023 by former DeepMind researcher Arthur Mensch, and former Meta researchers Guillaume Lample and Timothée Lacroix—was valued $6 billion. A few days ago, Bloomberg News reported that it could reach a $14 billion valuation after this Series C round.
According to analysts at Innovation Origins , this new deal aligns with the European autonomy agenda, especially amid tensions with the United States and Trump’s import tariffs on semiconductors affecting the tech chain. ASML has also been working with Nvidia, one of Mistral’s investors and business partners, making this new deal a strategic partnership as well.
Just a few months ago, Mistral also partnered with the French giant TotalEnergies to develop new energy solutions and optimize processes.
