Iran denies Facebook CEO summoned to court

TEHRAN: An Iranian prosecutor has denied reports that a local judge ordered Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear in court to answer complaints by individuals who say Facebook-owned applications Instagram and Whatsapp violate their privacy.

Official news agency IRNA quotes Shiraz chief prosecutor Ali Alghasimehr as saying Zuckerberg has not been summoned to court and Facebook-owned applications Instagram and Whatsapp have not been banned.

A day earlier, semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Ruhollah Momen Nasab, an information technology official with the paramilitary Basij force, as saying that the unnamed judge summoned Zuckerberg to court and also ordered the two apps blocked.

IRNA’s Wednesday report says complaints by individuals have been filed against Instagram and Whatsapp and that those lawsuits are under investigation but no rulings have been issued.