What, Why & How of Proxy Server on Whatsapp

credit: sammobile

London (Parliament Politics Magazine) –The owners of the world-renewed application WhatsApp have revealed that the company has added a new feature to the messaging platform. This feature will allow people to use the app even in regions where the authorities have blocked the messaging service. This new feature will give the app the ability to work over a proxy server. 

WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that is owned by Meta. The application has introduced a feature that will allow users to bypass attempts to get access to its services. Some repressive governments use internet controls to reduce internet us. This new feature will let the users use the application without any trouble even when there is no internet.

What Is Whatsapp Proxy Server?

For those who don’t have any idea about what a proxy server is, it is a system that works intermediary between a device and a service or the internet. If the government blocks WhatsApp in any region, then the users can enter the address of a proxy server, that the government hasn’t blocked, in the app. This allows WhatsApp to communicate using that server. This will allow the users to use the messaging service without any issues.

Why Whatsapp Proxy Server Feature Has Been Introduced? 

The new WhatsApp proxy serve feature is introduced to combat the Bypass Internet Blocks. In the announcement post, WhatsApp shared an example of Iran that has used the governing authority to block all the services from Meta (such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) for months. The users of Whatsapp are relieved by the introduction of this feature.

Whatsapp owners explained that this new feature would prove to be beneficial for countries like Iran. The new Whatsapp feature will be easy to use. However, the users will have to look for a suitable proxy server that allows them to get access to the internet during internet blackouts. The popularity of Whatsapp has increased rapidly in the past few years. It is one of the most widely used messaging apps in the world.

WhatsApp, however, will not provide proxy servers to users. People will have to search for a proxy server that works well in the region and enter the proxy server’s address inside the app. You can find many free-to-use proxy servers that set up volunteers and organizations. According to WhatsApp, the messages/data is an end-to-end encrypted service that will allow the users to use the app through a proxy server.

What Is The Function Of The New Whatsapp Feature? 

The messaging service will allow the users to configure the app by getting access to the internet through proxy servers. The app will function with the intermediaries between users and internet services. This will disguise traffic and will avoid controls. The users will have to research their proxy servers, which are provided by the volunteers and organizations.

 Iran recently blocked a brutal security crackdown that disrupted residents to get access to WhatsApp and fellow Meta platform Instagram. This new Whatsapp feature is expected to help the users of Whatsapp under all conditions. You will be able to stay connected with your friends and family even if you don’t have any access to the internet.

WhatsApp’s new feature will help the people living in developing economies that often face circumventing repressive regimes. The sibling Facebook has a history of weak moderation controls which has made it vulnerable to abuse and disinformation.

 A group of Rohingya refugees also sued Facebook for $150 billion in 2021, as the platform alleged with the algorithm amplified hate speech. The platform also claimed that Facebook helped perpetuate genocidal actions done by the military junta in Myanmar.

Read More: Reasons Why UK Still Not Have Nuclear Power Stations?

How To Use The Whatsapp Proxy Feature? 

To use the Proxy Server feature on WhatsApp you just have to follow a few easy steps. The users just have to download and install the WhatsApp app on their phone. Once you have installed and set up the app then you have to register to the app with your phone number. If Whatsapp is already installed on the app then you just have to activate the Whatsapp proxy feature on your application. Follow the steps below to activate the Whatsapp proxy feature:

  • Open WhatsApp and go to the Settings section
  • Now look for the Storage and Data section
  • Choose Proxy and then click on the Use Proxy and Set Proxy setting
  • Enter the proxy server’s address
  • Click on the Save button
  • You are done and can start using the new Whatsapp feature now

Beth Malcolm

Beth Malcolm is Scottish based Journalist at Heriot-Watt University studying French and British Sign Language. She is originally from the north west of England but is living in Edinburgh to complete her studies.