Meta alarmed as Iran urges citizens to abandon WhatsApp, spokesperson discloses
WhatsApp is in hot water in Iran as the country's state television is urging citizens to ditch the messaging app, accusing it of being complicit in Israeli efforts to gather sensitive information. Iranian officials claim WhatsApp, along with other location-based apps, are Israel's primary methods for pinpointing and targeting individuals.
The Iranian regime's crackdown on internet access comes as tensions between Israel and Iran heat up. Last week, Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists, and senior military commanders. Iran retaliated with barrages of ballistic missiles. Sadly, both countries have suffered substantial casualties, with over two dozen deaths reported in Israel and at least 224 in Iran.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has strongly contested these accusations. The company ensures users that their messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the sender and recipient can access the content. WhatsApp also maintains that it doesn't track users' precise locations, does not keep logs of who users message, and does not provide bulk user information to any government. However, WhatsApp has been previously targeted by Iranian authorities, with Instagram's usage restricted during the mass protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
NetBlocks analysis indicates a significant 75% reduction in internet usage across Iran on Tuesday, potentially limiting the public's ability to access information during these critical times. With the encouraged deletion of WhatsApp, citizens could find it even harder to communicate securely and stay informed.
- Iran
- Israel
- Meta
Emmet Lyons is a news desk editor at the our News London bureau, orchestrating and producing stories for all our News platforms. Prior to joining our News, Emmet produced news at CNN for four years.
Enrichment Data:- Iran alleges WhatsApp shares user data with Israel amid heightened geopolitical tensions.- WhatsApp denies these claims, emphasizing its end-to-end encryption and lack of data sharing with governments.- Concerns about data sovereignty and information security persist during times of political unrest.
- In the midst of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, news of Iranian allegations against WhatsApp, owned by Meta, for sharing user data with Israel has surfaced.
- WhatsApp, under fire, has firmly denied these accusations, highlighting the end-to-end encryption of user messages and the lack of any data sharing with governments.
- As Iranian authorities have been known to restrict access to social-media platforms like Instagram during politically charged times, researchers are expressing concerns about data sovereignty and information security for citizens during this critical period of geopolitical unrest.
