&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran fears data leak? Citizens asked to delete WhatsApp from their phones")
Amid the escalating tension with Israel, Iran on Tuesday urged its people to delete WhatsApp from their devices, alleging that the messaging app gathered user information to send to Israel. However, the Iranian government did not provide any evidence in this regard.
The claims were immediately denied by WhatsApp which is owned by Meta.
"Concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most," said WhatsApp in a statement after Iran made the claims.
“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.
"We do not provide bulk information to any government," the company further added.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, which means that the messages are scrambled and only the sender and recipient can see them.
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Status of social media in Iran
Several social media platforms have been banned in Iran in the past few years. However many people in the country try to use them through virtual private networks, or VPNs.
In 2022, when there was a massive protest in the country over the death of a woman held by the country’s morality police, WhatsApp and Google Play were banned. However, in 2024, the government lifted the embargo.
Along with the Instagram and Telegram, WhatsApp is among Iran’s most popular messaging apps.
Israel-Iran war
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jun 17) held a National Security Council meeting to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, the White House said. This comes amid reports that the US leader is considering whether to join Israel’s military operations against Tehran.
There also reports of US deploying more fighter aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East.
Among the deployments are F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft, reported news agency Reuters, citing US officials. US military tanker aircraft used to re-fuel fighter jets and bombers have also been moved.
