Meta ‘concerned’ Iran could ban WhatsApp
Al Jazeera :
US tech giant Meta has expressed concern that Iran may block WhatsApp after state media claimed the messaging service is being used for snooping by Israel.
“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,” Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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.”
Meta added that it does not track users’ precise location or maintain logs of who is messaging whom.
“We do not provide bulk information to any government,” the California-based tech firm said.
“For over a decade, Meta has provided consistent transparency reports that include the limited circumstances when WhatsApp information has been requested.”
Meta’s statement came after the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) urged citizens to deactivate or delete their WhatsApp accounts because the “Zionist regime is using citizens’ information to harm us”.