WhatsApp is introducing a new feature designed to help users bypass government-enforced internet shutdowns.
The update lets people connect to the messaging platform via proxy servers – an alternate route for those whose direct access is blocked.
Rather than connecting directly to the desired website or service, a user connects to a proxy, which essentially performs as an intermediary for the data passing between them.
WhatsApp owner Meta said it had taken the decision in response to internet shutdowns in countries like Iran, where protests have raged for several months following the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old died in September after being detained by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating its strict dress code.
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2:20
Internet ‘kill-switch’ in Iran
How will WhatsApp by proxy server work?
The option to connect via a proxy server will be in WhatsApp’s settings.
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Users in impacted countries will be able to enter the name of a server and use it to connect to the internet.
WhatsApp suggests searching social media or search engines for trusted sources that have created a proxy.
In a blog post, the company said many proxies had been set up by volunteers and groups worldwide to help affected people “communicate freely”, but would also offer guidance on how users can set up their own.
The firm said connecting via proxy would maintain the app’s privacy and security features, including protecting messages via end-to-end encryption.
HOW TO ACCESS WHATSAPP BY PROXY
WhatsApp has outlined instructions for how to connect to a proxy, either on iPhone or Android.
In both cases, users should make sure that they’re using the most current version of WhatsApp.
On Android, in the chats tab, tap “more options”, “settings”, and then “storage and data”. To get to that stage on iPhone, go straight to WhatsApp’s settings tab.
Once in “storage and data”, tap “proxy”, “use proxy”, “set proxy”, before entering the desired address.
Upon tapping “save”, a checkmark will show if the connection is successful – a failed connection may indicate the proxy has been blocked.
‘A meaningful step’ to help those who ‘face censorship’
Research by internet monitor NetBlocks following Ms Amini’s death found that Iran’s government was regularly imposing an online curfew during protests.
It was an attempt not just to neuter communication between Iranians, but also contact with the outside world.
NetBlocks founder Alp Toker told Sky News that WhatsApp’s announcement was “a meaningful step towards helping Iranians and others who face censorship”.
He said: “The approach is sound, and it effectively ‘decentralises’ the part of WhatsApp’s infrastructure that is most vulnerable to filtering at Iran’s national gateway.”
“Although the Signal messenger app previously championed a similar approach, it’s still significant that a major company like Meta is following Signal’s lead and calling for volunteers to help users in challenging environments access WhatsApp,” he added.
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2:04
Iranians ‘risking their lives’ in protests
Could regimes get around proxy servers?
Some have suggested that proxy servers do not offer a foolproof solution to internet shutdowns.
Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, told Sky News that regimes themselves could theoretically set up proxy servers and conduct “man in the middle attacks to eavesdrop on messages”.
Users in a country like Iran would want to ensure that the proxy server they are connecting to is not malicious.
He added: “Whether the proxy you connect to is running Meta’s code run by a ‘volunteer’ is something I assume you have to take on trust.
“And trust is in short supply in certain parts of the world.”
Connecting to a proxy server also requires system-level access to the internet – if your phone has no service, then you can’t connect to a proxy server.
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.