On Iran's ‘WhatsApp Spying For Israel' Charge, Company's Sharp Rebuttal: ‘Just An Excuse...'
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Israel-Iran Conflict: Iran's warning was issued through state-linked media outlets, which claimed WhatsApp was a threat to national security.
The Iranian government called on its citizens to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, accusing the messaging platform of collecting user data and sharing it with Israel. Tehran's claim, made without presenting any evidence, comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
Iran's warning was issued through state-linked media outlets, which claimed WhatsApp was a threat to national security. However, no technical data or official intelligence was shared to support the allegation. In response, WhatsApp firmly rejected the accusation.
'We do not supply any bulk of information to any government," the company said in an official statement, adding, 'We do not track your precise location, we don't keep logs of who everyone is messaging and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another."
WhatsApp also reiterated that its platform is protected by end-to-end encryption, ensuring that messages remain private and unreadable to anyone- including WhatsApp itself.
The company expressed concern that the Iranian government may use the accusation as a pretext to block its services as it said, 'We are concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most."
Iran has previously blocked access to digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram during periods of domestic unrest. In 2022, the government restricted WhatsApp and Google Play in the wake of widespread protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. The ban was lifted late last year but many users continue to access such platforms through VPNs. WhatsApp remains one of the most widely used messaging apps in Iran.
Location :
Iran
First Published:
June 18, 2025, 01:35 IST
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