Delete WhatsApp from your phones

WhatsApp said it was "concerned" that its services would be blocked in Iran after a state broadcaster urged the public to delete the messaging app, saying it was sharing data with arch-rival Israel.

State television IRIB appealed to Iranians on Tuesday to delete WhatsApp from their phones, alleging that the app collected users' personal data and "last known locations and communications," and shared them with Israel.

A WhatsApp spokesperson dismissed the IRIB claims, saying all messages sent on the app were "end-to-end encrypted," with only the sender and recipient able to access them.

"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 spokesperson told AFP.

"We do not track your precise location, we don't keep logs of who everyone is messaging and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another," they said.