Iran urges citizens to delete WhatsApp, claims data sent to Israel; company reacts

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

Iran on Tuesday called on its citizens to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, accusing the messaging platform—without providing specific evidence—of collecting user data to share with Israel amid rising regional tensions, according to the Associated Press.
WhatsApp responded to the accusation by stating that it does not supply 'any bulk of information to any government.' WhatsApp is a subsidiary of Meta Platforms, the same company that owns Facebook and Instagram.
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In its official statement, the company said it was 'concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.' It explained that its service is protected by end-to-end encryption, which ensures that messages are inaccessible to third parties, including service providers.
'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 said. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.'
The app's end-to-end encryption ensures that messages are scrambled so that only the sender and the intended recipient can read them. Any attempt to intercept such a message would only reveal unintelligible content that cannot be decoded without a unique key.
Iran has a history of restricting access to social media platforms. Nevertheless, many Iranians continue to use these services via proxies or virtual private networks (VPNs). The government had banned WhatsApp and Google Play in 2022 during widespread protests triggered by the death of a woman in the custody of the morality police. That restriction was lifted late last year.
Despite past bans, WhatsApp has remained among the most widely used messaging apps in Iran, alongside Instagram and Telegram.
Israel and Iran exchanged fire once again on Tuesday, marking the fifth consecutive day of hostilities in what is being described as their most intense confrontation to date. The ongoing violence has heightened concerns over a prolonged war that could spread across the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran's Supreme Leader on Tuesday, declaring on social media that the US knows the location of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but will not target him 'for now.'
In a separate post, Trump called for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' prompting speculation over whether the US might directly support Israel in targeting Iran's leadership and nuclear infrastructure. Trump had previously stated that he wanted a 'real end' to the fighting, not merely a ceasefire.
Vice President JD Vance added to the speculation, posting on X that Trump 'may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment.'
According to AFP, a White House official confirmed that Trump is holding a meeting of the National Security Council to assess the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that Israel's offensive aims to dismantle Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, as well as its 'axis of terrorism,' referring to Tehran-backed militant groups in the region. He also did not rule out the possibility of assassinating Iran's Supreme Leader.
As of Sunday, Iranian officials reported that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people and injured over 1,200, including high-ranking military figures and nuclear scientists. On the Israeli side, Netanyahu's office stated that Iran's attacks have resulted in 24 deaths and 592 injuries.