Dhaka, June 18 -- On Tuesday afternoon, Iranian state television called on the public to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, claiming-without providing evidence-that the messaging platform was collecting user data to share with Israel.

WhatsApp responded with concern, stating that the accusations were false and potentially a pretext for authorities to block the app again at a time when people rely on it most. The platform emphasized its use of end-to-end encryption, which prevents any third party, including service providers, from accessing message content.

"We do not track users' precise locations, we don't maintain logs of who is messaging whom, and we do not monitor personal messages," WhatsApp said. "We also do not provide bulk ...