Iran’s state television urged people to delete WhatsApp, saying without evidence that the app was sending user information to Israel.
Iran’s state broadcaster on Tuesday urged people to remove WhatsApp from their phones, claiming that the messaging app was collecting user information and sending it to Israel as the two countries trade military strikes.
“WhatsApp and Instagram are collecting information about individuals and are providing the Zionist enemy with their last known location and communications, tagged with the names of individuals,” the Iranian state television network said, referring to Israel. It did not provide evidence for its claims.
WhatsApp, in a statement on Tuesday, said the allegations were false.
“We’re concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most,” the statement said. “All of the messages you send to family and friends on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one except the sender and recipient has access to those messages, not even WhatsApp.”
Internet services across Iran have been suffering severe disruptions, according to Iranian officials, experts and citizens, who say the government is likely restricting access to limit the spread of information about strikes and for fear of Israeli cyberattacks.
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