Washington: In a statement released Tuesday, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, denied what it called “false reports” from Iranian media, which it fears may serve as a pretext to restrict access to its services.

“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 company said. Meta reaffirmed WhatsApp’s core privacy feature — end-to-end encryption — which ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages. “Not even WhatsApp can access those messages,” it added.

The company further clarified that it does not track users’ precise locations or log who is messaging whom, and it does not provide bulk data to any government.

The controversy follows remarks by Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which urged citizens to delete WhatsApp, warning that the “Zionist regime” could exploit user data to target Iranian citizens. A presenter on IRNA claimed that shared content, locations, and contacts could compromise national security — especially if users are connected to figures like nuclear scientists.

Although WhatsApp uses encryption that prevents message content from being accessed by third parties, like Meta or government agencies, metadata — such as contact lists and device information — can still be collected and potentially shared with authorities under legal processes.

Iran had previously banned WhatsApp and Instagram in September 2022 amid widespread protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody. The ban was later lifted two months afterward under new pledges by President Masoud Pezeshkian to improve digital freedoms