Iranian state television has called on its citizens to delete the popular messaging app WhatsApp from their devices, alleging without evidence that the platform sends user data to Israel. The move has sparked concerns about a potential new ban on the service in the country.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, strongly refuted the accusations. In a statement, the company highlighted its use of end-to-end encryption, which prevents it from viewing personal messages, tracking locations, or logging user contacts. “We do not provide bulk information to any government,” WhatsApp clarified, expressing concern that these “false reports” could lead to the service being blocked.

Cybersecurity experts note that while message content is encrypted, metadata—such as who is using the app and when—may not be. Gregory Falco, an engineering professor at Cornell University, pointed to this as a consistent privacy issue. He also raised the concern of data sovereignty, as data from Iranian users is likely stored in data centers outside of Iran.

Iran has a history of blocking social media platforms, including a temporary ban on WhatsApp during the 2022 anti-government protests. Despite these restrictions, many Iranians continue to access such services using VPNs.

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