WhatsApp Introduces Proxy Support to Help Users Bypass Internet Censorship

Jan 6, 2023

Jan 06, 2023Ravie LakshmananOnline Safety / Privacy

Popular instant messaging service WhatsApp has launched support
for proxy servers in the latest version of its Android and iOS
apps, letting users circumvent government-imposed censorship and
internet shutdowns.

“Choosing a proxy enables you to connect to WhatsApp through
servers set up by volunteers and organizations around the world
dedicated to helping people communicate freely,” the Meta-owned
company said ^[1].

Proxies act as an intermediary between end users and the service
provider by routing requests originating from a client to the
server and forwarding the response back to the device.

Users can access the option ^[2]
by navigating to Settings > Storage and Data > Proxy > Use
Proxy and entering a trusted proxy server address.

WhatsApp, which is used by more than two billion users across
the world, has also made available a reference
implementation ^[3]
that can be used to set up a proxy server to help others connect to
the service.

The company emphasized that connecting through a proxy server
still guarantees end-to-end encryption (E2EE) protections, and that
the message contents will not be accessible to the servers,
WhatsApp, or Meta.

“Use of a third-party proxy will share your IP address with the
proxy provider,” WhatsApp cautions in a Help Center page.
“Third-party proxies aren’t provided by WhatsApp.”

The announcement comes months after Iran curbed access ^[4]
to Instagram and WhatsApp in the wake of widespread protests ^[5]
after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody.

In September 2022, encrypted messaging tool Signal, which is
also blocked in Iran, urged its
users ^[6] to set up proxy servers
to help Iranians bypass restrictions and communicate via the
platform.

Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter ^[7]
and LinkedIn ^[8]
to read more exclusive content we post.

References

^{^}
said
(blog.whatsapp.com)
^{^}
access
the option (faq.whatsapp.com)
^{^}
reference implementation
(github.com)
^{^}
curbed
access (netblocks.org)
^{^}
widespread protests
(thehackernews.com)
^{^}
urged
its users (signal.org)
^{^}
Twitter
 (twitter.com)
^{^}
LinkedIn
(www.linkedin.com)

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OWASP TOP !0

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WhatsApp Introduces Proxy Support to Help Users Bypass Internet Censorship

References

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