WhatsApp App to enable messaging service in internet blackouts

 WhatsApp, the instant-messaging service owned by Meta, has enabled its users to stay connected even during internet disruptions or shutdowns. The company has allowed users to connect via proxy servers, ensuring they can still communicate even if the internet is blocked.

WhatsApp wants to help people communicate freely, and to that end, it is urging its global community to volunteer as proxy servers. The company has promised to offer guidance on how to set up a proxy server and to ensure that the level of privacy and security is maintained.

The company says that personal messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption, which ensures that the messages are not visible to anyone other than the sender and the recipient. Neither the proxy servers, WhatsApp, nor Meta will have access to these messages.

According to Juras Juršėnas, from proxy and online data collection company Oxylabs, the usage of a proxy server can help people retain connection to WhatsApp and the rest of the internet even during government restrictions on internet access, such as the case in Iran. With a proxy server, people around the world can stay connected even if their internet access is blocked by malicious factors.