A former WhatsApp security leader filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that the Meta-owned messaging service neglected major security and privacy flaws that left users' data and accounts vulnerable.

Why it matters: The whistleblower complaint — the latest in a series against the tech giant — alleges that those security flaws resulted in more than 100,000 accounts being hacked every day.

• Many people turn to WhatsApp, which provides end-to-end encrypted messaging, for the added privacy benefits.

Zoom in: Attaullah Baig, former head of security at WhatsApp, claims in the lawsuit that about 1,500 engineers had unrestricted access to sensitive user data and that the company did not have adequate internal auditing and monitoring tools to see who accessed what data or to detect data breaches.

• The lawsuit, which was first reported by the New York Times, also alleges that he faced retaliation and was eventually fired for sharing his concerns with top executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Between the lines: Baig joined WhatsApp in January 2021, a year and a half after Meta had agreed to a privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that called for routine internal audits and stronger privacy practices.

• Baig also shared his concerns with leaders at WhatsApp and across Meta in August 2022, following two cybersecurity incidents affecting WhatsApp users, according to the complaint.

The other side: "Sadly this is a familiar playbook in which a former employee is...

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