Messenger
Suddenly a new function at Whatsapp: This is hidden behind the “Proxy” menu
Whatsapp is blocked in some countries – the developers want to take action against this.
© Delmaine Donson / Getty Images
Innovations in Whatsapp are not always immediately apparent – and when they do appear, their function is not immediately clear. This is also the case with the new menu called “Proxy”.
On January 5th, Whatsapp wishes all users in the company blog Happy New Year – and start it with a new feature. From now on, the “Proxy” menu should appear on all devices with the current version in the settings under “Storage and data”. This is a simple way of accessing the Whatsapp service even if you were actually affected by an internet ban.
Use Whatsapp even when the Internet is blocked
The developers write: “With a proxy, you can use Whatsapp through servers set up by volunteers and organizations worldwide so that users can communicate freely without hindrance.”
A proxy server is a kind of switching center that, for example, accepts inquiries from a Whatsapp user and forwards them to the messenger’s server via its own address. This creates a certain level of anonymity, since internet providers, for example, cannot see which service you are actually contacting. This makes censorship or blocking based on the IP more difficult.
Whatsapp promises that using the proxy service will not change the security of the data. According to the operators, messages are also end-to-end encrypted if you use the redirection. The group explains: “Nobody else, not even the proxy server, Whatsapp or Meta can access it.”
More storage, more security
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As a concrete example of the need for the new function, Whatsapp cites the current situation in Iran, where the government is using appropriate blocks to prevent friends and family from being able to reach friends and family via messengers like Whatsapp.
No proxy address from Whatsapp
With the setup of a proxy server, Whatsapp leaves users quite alone. The developers of the messenger deliver a guide on how to use the function theoreticallybut writes in the crucial place, where it is about an address for the data redirection: “If you have Internet access, you can use social media or search engines to search for trustworthy proxy server providers.”
Fortunately, since the riots in Iran, there have been more and more institutions and trustworthy providers who provide a suitable address for a proxy free of charge. In Germany, for example, there is a corresponding contact point at the “taz“.