TEHRAN, Iran — A judge in southern Iran has 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.
Semiofficial news agency ISNA quoted Ruhollah Momen Nasab, an official with the paramilitary Basij force, as saying Tuesday that the judge also ordered the two apps blocked.
Another Iranian court last week had ordered Instagram blocked over privacy concerns. However, users in the capital, Tehran, still could access both applications around noon Tuesday. In Iran, websites and Internet applications have sometimes been reported blocked but remain operational.
Facebook is already banned in the country, along with other social websites like Twitter and YouTube.
The administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani is opposed to blocking such websites.
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