Except from what I can find WhatsApp seems to have an automated content moderation system that will automatically flag and forward messages to Meta for review. So the ability to bypass that encryption is already hardwired into the app.

> these companies do not collect chat data.

These companies say they don't collect chat data but they also say they follow local laws and you see from above that they obviously, deliberately don't.

Does "end to end encryption" really mean anything if you control decryption at both ends of the connection?

It's just harder to intercept over the wire that's all.

Yes there are more than one shady way to collect data. Other government, and your own, can access these companies profile of you.