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Popular instantaneous messaging service WhatsApp has launched help for proxy servers within the newest model of its Android and iOS apps, letting customers circumvent government-imposed censorship and web shutdowns.
“Choosing a proxy allows you to connect with WhatsApp via servers arrange by volunteers and organizations around the globe devoted to serving to individuals talk freely,” the Meta-owned firm stated.
Proxies act as an middleman between finish customers and the service supplier by routing requests originating from a consumer to the server and forwarding the response again to the gadget.
Users can entry the choice by navigating to Settings > Storage and Data > Proxy > Use Proxy and getting into a trusted proxy server handle.
WhatsApp, which is utilized by greater than two billion customers internationally, has additionally made accessible a reference implementation that can be utilized to arrange a proxy server to assist others connect with the service.
The firm emphasised that connecting via a proxy server nonetheless ensures end-to-end encryption (E2EE) protections, and that the message contents won’t be accessible to the servers, WhatsApp, or Meta.
“Use of a third-party proxy will share your IP handle with the proxy supplier,” WhatsApp cautions in a Help Center web page. “Third-party proxies aren’t supplied by WhatsApp.”
The announcement comes months after Iran curbed entry to Instagram and WhatsApp within the wake of widespread protests after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody.
In September 2022, encrypted messaging device Signal, which can also be blocked in Iran, urged its customers to arrange proxy servers to assist Iranians bypass restrictions and talk through the platform.