Iranian state television on Tuesday urged citizens to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, claiming—without providing evidence—that the messaging platform was sharing user data with Israel.
The announcement has raised concerns about renewed efforts to suppress access to global digital services. WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, quickly rejected the allegations, stating they are false and potentially part of a broader attempt to justify renewed restrictions.
“We do not track users' precise locations, we don’t maintain logs of who is messaging whom, and we do not monitor personal messages,” WhatsApp said in a statement. “We also do not provide bulk user information to any government.”
WhatsApp underscored its use of end-to-end encryption, which ensures that only the sender and recipient can read the contents of a message. Intercepted communications appear as unreadable data without a decryption key.
“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,” the company said.
Reiterating its commitment to user privacy, WhatsApp added, “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.”
However, cybersecurity expert Gregory Falco, an assistant professor at Cornell University, noted that while message content is protected, metadata—such as message timing and contact connections—is not encrypted. This has long been a point of concern among privacy advocates.
Falco also pointed to growing concerns about data sovereignty. "It's likely that Iranian user data is stored on servers outside Iran," he said. “Given eroding trust in international data handling, countries are increasingly advocating for domestic data control.”
Iran has a history of restricting foreign social media and communication tools. During widespread protests in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, authorities blocked WhatsApp, Google Play, and other major platforms. Those bans were lifted in late 2024, but Tuesday's warning may indicate a return to tighter digital controls.
Despite these measures, many Iranians continue to access restricted platforms using virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy services. WhatsApp remains one of the most widely used messaging apps in the country, alongside Telegram and Instagram.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
