Latest news with #GregoryFalco
18-06-2025
- Politics
Iran asks its people to delete WhatsApp from their devices
Iranian state television on Tuesday afternoon urged people to remove WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging without specific evidence that the messaging app gathered user information to send to Israel. In a statement, WhatsApp said it was 'concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.' WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can't read a message. '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," it added. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.' End-to-end encryption means that messages are scrambled so that only the sender and recipient can see them. If anyone else intercepts the message, all they will see is a garble that can't be unscrambled without the key. Gregory Falco, an assistant professor of engineering at Cornell University and cybersecurity expert, said it's been demonstrated that it's possible to understand metadata about WhatsApp that does not get encrypted. 'So you can understand things about how people are using the app and that's been a consistent issue where people have not been interested in engaging with WhatsApp for that (reason),' he said. Another issue is data sovereignty, Falco added, where data centers hosting WhatsApp data from a certain country are not necessarily located in that country. It's more than feasible, for instance, that WhatsApp's data from Iran is not hosted in Iran. 'Countries need to house their data in-country and process the data in-country with their own algorithms. Because it's really hard increasingly to trust the global network of data infrastructure,' he said. WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Iran has blocked access to various social media platforms over the years but many people in the country use proxies and virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access them. It banned WhatsApp and Google Play in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country's morality police. That ban was lifted late last year.
Hans India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Iran Urges Citizens to Delete WhatsApp Over Alleged Data Leak to Israel
In a dramatic turn amid heightened regional tensions, Iran has urged its citizens to uninstall WhatsApp, alleging that the messaging app could be leaking sensitive user data to the Israeli military. The claims, aired on Iranian state television, follow a series of high-profile assassinations that have rattled the country's leadership. Iranian state media suggested that WhatsApp, which is among the most widely used apps in the country, might be contributing to security breaches by 'gathering user information' and transmitting it to Israel. However, these assertions were made without presenting concrete evidence. Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp, swiftly denied the accusations. In an official statement, the company described the claims as 'false reports' and voiced concerns that such allegations could be used as a pretext to restrict access to its services. 'We are concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most,' Meta stated. WhatsApp emphasized that its platform is secured with end-to-end encryption, a technology designed to ensure that only the sender and recipient of a message can access its content. '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,' the company clarified. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.' Despite the assurances, some cybersecurity experts remain cautious. Gregory Falco, a cybersecurity researcher and assistant professor at Cornell University, highlighted that metadata—such as message timestamps and contact patterns—could still be vulnerable to leaks, even with encryption in place. The backdrop of these allegations includes longstanding concerns over the cooperation between global tech firms and military organizations. While companies like Google and Microsoft have previously worked with the Israeli government in non-military capacities, suspicions persist. Compounding the issue is the history of Israeli firms like NSO Group, known for the controversial Pegasus spyware, which has exploited platforms like WhatsApp for surveillance purposes. WhatsApp had previously taken legal action against NSO Group in a U.S. court, underscoring its opposition to such surveillance activities. The Iranian government's warning has sparked intense debate over digital privacy, data security, and the role of global tech platforms in geopolitical conflicts.
India Today
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Iran asks people to delete WhatsApp, hints that app is leaking location data to Israel military
In the midst of war with Israel, Iran has suffered a number of high-profile assassinations in the recent days. The accuracy of these attacks on high-profile target has stunned not just the Iranian government but also the rest of world. Now, Iran is hinting that its officials might have been targeted on the basis of location data leaked by apps and phones, including through WhatsApp. And the company has issued a directive to its citizens asking them to remove WhatsApp from their phones. advertisementIranian state television on Tuesday called on citizens to delete WhatsApp from their phones. The announcement claimed that the messaging app could be leaking user information to the Israeli military. Although this claim has been strongly denied by the app's parent company, Meta to an Associated Press report, the state TV broadcast warned that WhatsApp is allegedly 'gathering user information' and sharing it with Israel. The platform is currently one of the most widely used messaging platforms in Iran. Although the broadcast offered no concrete evidence, it has stirred growing fears over digital privacy and national security in the country. Commenting on the allegation, WhatsApp described the claims as 'false reports' and expressed concern that such statements could be used as justification to block the platform entirely. 'We are 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 has also reiterated that it uses end-to-end encryption. This is a security standard many messaging platforms follow to ensure only the sender and recipient of a message can read its contents. '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,' the statement read. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.'Meanwhile, many experts are pointing out that end-to-end encryption does not eliminate all security concerns. Gregory Falco, a cybersecurity researcher and assistant professor at Cornell University, told the Associated Press that metadata — information such as when a message is sent and to whom — can still be leaked. Such concerns can be particularly troublesome in case there is a tacit or unknown co-operation between American tech companies and different militaries. In the past we have seen tech companies like Google, Microsoft and others work with Israeli government and its military to provide certain services, although tech companies deny that their services are used for military purposes by the same time, Israeli companies like NSO — of Pegasus spyware fame — often target apps like WhatsApp to hack into people's phones, including iPhones. WhatsApp had earlier slammed NSO and had filed cases against in a US court.
Arab Times
18-06-2025
- Arab Times
Iran asks its people to delete WhatsApp from their devices
TEHRAN, June 18, (AP): Iranian state television on Tuesday afternoon urged people to remove WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging without specific evidence that the messaging app gathered user information to send to Israel. In a statement, WhatsApp said it was "concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.' WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can't read a message. "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," it added. "We do not provide bulk information to any government.' End-to-end encryption means that messages are scrambled so that only the sender and recipient can see them. If anyone else intercepts the message, all they will see is a garble that can't be unscrambled without the key. Gregory Falco, an assistant professor of engineering at Cornell University and cybersecurity expert, said it's been demonstrated that it's possible to understand metadata about WhatsApp that does not get encrypted. "So you can understand things about how people are using the app, and that's been a consistent issue where people have not been interested in engaging with WhatsApp for that (reason),' he said. Another issue is data sovereignty, Falco added, where data centers hosting WhatsApp data from a certain country are not necessarily located in that country. It's more than feasible, for instance, that WhatsApp's data from Iran is not hosted in Iran. "Countries need to house their data in-country and process the data in-country with their own algorithms. Because it's really hard increasingly to trust the global network of data infrastructure,' he said. WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Iran has blocked access to various social media platforms over the years but many people in the country use proxies and virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access them. It banned WhatsApp and Google Play in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country's morality police. That ban was lifted late last year. WhatsApp had been one of Iran's most popular messaging apps besides Instagram and Telegram.
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First Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Why Iran has asked people to delete WhatsApp
Iran's state-run broadcaster has asked people to delete social messaging applications WhatsApp, Telegram and other 'location-based apps'. Authorities claim that Meta, the parent company, is gathering user information and sending it to Israel. But are these claims true? read more In times of need, most of us want to connect with our loved ones, especially if we are in a conflict zone like Iran. The social messaging app WhatsApp plays a key role in connecting people across the globe. However, the application may not be available in Tehran and other parts of the country after the Iranian state television urged its people to delete the app on Tuesday (June 17). This comes at a time when tensions between Iran and Israel have been heightened. Earlier, the Iranian forces fired a Fattah-1 'hypersonic' missile at Israel . . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is a closer look at Iran's ban on WhatsApp. Why is Iran asking people to delete WhatsApp? Iranian state television has alleged that WhatsApp gathers user information and sending it to Israel. This isn't all; they warned people against using other 'location-based applications' like Telegram as well. How has WhatsApp reacted? WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has denied the allegations calling them false. In a statement, the company said, 'We are 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 asserted that it uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can't read a message. '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,' it added. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.' The Iranian government has shut down messaging apps Telegram and Instagram. File image/AP With end-to-end encryption, messages are securely scrambled, making them visible solely to the sender and intended recipient. This means that if a message is intercepted, without the unique decryption key, it remains an unintelligible mess, safeguarding communication privacy. What are experts saying? Several experts have shared their views on Iran's move to delete WhatsApp. One of them is Gregory Falco, an assistant professor of engineering at Cornell University and a cybersecurity expert. He said that it's been shown that some WhatsApp metadata, which isn't encrypted, can still be accessed and understood. 'So you can understand things about how people are using the app and that's been a consistent issue where people have not been interested in engaging with WhatsApp for that (reason),' he said. Falco also mentioned data sovereignty, meaning WhatsApp's data from one country might not be stored in data centres within that same country. For example, Iran's WhatsApp data might not be kept in Iran. 'Countries need to house their data in-country and process the data in-country with their own algorithms. Because it's really hard increasingly to trust the global network of data infrastructure,' he said. Why had Iran banned WhatsApp earlier? Earlier, Iran banned WhatsApp and other social media platforms in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody . Then, the Iranian government blocked WhatsApp and the Google Play Store. At the time, WhatsApp remained the most popular messaging app along with Telegram and Instagram. While restrictions were eased in late 2023, the availability of global platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram continues to be volatile which often depends on VPNs or proxies for access. With inputs from agencies
