WhatsApp Denies Sharing Iranian User Data with Israel Amid Military Tensions
Meta-owned app refutes Iranian claims of data transfer as Tehran threatens to block the platform during ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
Watan-WhatsApp on Wednesday denied allegations that it had transferred personal data of its Iranian users to Israel, amid rising concerns in Iran about a possible ban on the messaging app. This comes on the sixth day of military confrontation between Israel and Iran.
Iranian state television on Tuesday urged citizens to “delete WhatsApp from their mobile phones,” claiming the app collects personal data—including users’ locations—and “hands it over to the Zionist enemy.”
A WhatsApp spokesperson, representing the Meta-owned platform, responded in a statement:“We are concerned these false reports could be used as a pretext to block our service, precisely when people need it most.”
The spokesperson stressed:“All messages sent to family and friends via WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, meaning that only the sender and the receiver can read them—not even WhatsApp itself.”
He added:“We do not provide information to any government,” noting that Meta has published transparency reports for over a decade, highlighting rare cases where information has been requested from WhatsApp.
Following the outbreak of military conflict between Iran and Israel last Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Information imposed temporary internet restrictions across the country. Since then, many websites and applications have become fully or partially inaccessible.
On Tuesday, Iranian authorities urged citizens to “limit use of internet-connected devices and exercise caution online,” according to ISNA news agency.
Government employees and security personnel have been instructed not to use any connected devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, and laptops.
On Wednesday, Iran announced the arrest of five individuals it described as Mossad agents, accusing them of “tarnishing the Islamic Republic’s image” online, according to several local media reports.
