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WhatsApp Adds Proxy Support to Keep Users Online During Internet Blocks
Messaging service WhatsApp has added support for a tool to help users stay online when governments block the internet.To get more news about proxy server list, you can visit pyproxy.com official website.
The company – owned by Facebook’s parent Meta – recently announced it would let users connect to WhatsApp through proxy servers.
A proxy acts as a bridge to connect users to the internet through servers in other places. Proxy servers can be set up by individuals or organizations around the world. The proxy system can permit people to be online even when governments have restricted or cut off internet services in their area.
In its announcement, WhatsApp said the proxy tool represents an effort to “put the power into people’s hands” to connect to its service if the internet is blocked or restricted.
The company said proxy support was launched for WhatsApp users all over the world. In its statement, however, WhatsApp identified Iran as a nation where the government has been blocking the internet for months. Such actions “deny people’s human rights and cut people off from receiving urgent help,” WhatsApp said.
Iran’s government has a history of cutting internet and messaging services.
In 2018, Iranian officials ordered internet service providers to block messaging service Telegram. At the time, Iran had an estimated 40 million Telegram users, nearly half the country’s population.
The banning of Telegram came as widespread demonstrations took place in many Iranian cities to protest government economic policies.
In recent months, Iran has seen widespread demonstrations in the country’s Kurdistan province and in major cities. The protests began following the death of a 22-year-old woman who died while in police detention. The woman, Mahsa Amini, was arrested by officers of Iran’s “morality police.”
The morality police oversee the enforcement of Iran’s restrictions on behavior and clothing in public. Amini was arrested for violating the country’s Islamic dress rules.
Iran blocked WhatsApp, as well as Meta-owned service Instagram, as unrest broke out over the protests related to Amini’s death.
The company said using a proxy server would not change “the high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides.” For example, it said all personal messages sent over the service will still be protected by end-to-end encryption. Encryption is a process that turns information or data into a form of code in order to hide the information.
WhatsApp provides step-by-step instructions for users wishing to use a proxy server. The company also created a guide for volunteers and organizations who want to set up proxy servers for users.
What is a proxy server, and how does it work?
Proxy servers can secure and improve the communication between the client and the requested service. Still, the exact functionality and security or privacy benefits vary depending on your needs and proxy server type.To get more news about private proxy, you can visit pyproxy.com official website.
How does a proxy server work?
The word “proxy” means “to act on behalf of another,” and that is precisely what a proxy server does. It acts on the client’s or web server’s behalf to receive and forward requests.
Internet traffic flows through the proxy server on its way to the requested address, and the request then comes back through that same proxy server before you receive the requested data. Here’s how it works in more detail:
Proxy servers work in a similar way as virtual private network (VPN) servers. They also route traffic on your behalf, masking your identity. The most notable difference between a proxy and a VPN is that VPN also encrypts the traffic while proxy servers don’t.
Since a proxy server can be on the server side or a part of network infrastructure, the client can also be unaware of the intermediary proxy and assume it’s directly communicating with the requested address.
For example, your work network or internet service provider (ISP) can use a proxy server to filter or cache content or even track your activities without you even knowing about it. And those are not the only uses of proxy servers.
What is a proxy server used for?
Proxies are powerful tools for managing or securing network traffic and improving performance. Here are some of the most common use cases of proxy servers:
Network filtering. You can use proxy servers to filter and block access to certain websites or web content. In this case, proxies are like firewalls, enforcing compliance and internet censorship, preventing malware infection or phishing attacks, or restricting access to inappropriate or illegal content.
Caching. Proxy servers store frequently accessed resources like web pages, images, and videos. They then serve cached data to clients instead of fetching content from the original server.
Load balancing. Proxy servers distribute client requests across multiple servers to prevent overloading one server. They can also detect and redirect requests from failed or overloaded servers to servers that haven’t reached capacity.
Bypassing restrictions. While proxy servers on the server side can enforce internet restrictions, proxies on the client side can help bypass them. Since proxy servers reroute web traffic, they can bypass restrictions set by network administrators, ISPs, or even governments.
Masking the IP address. The proxy server connects to the web on your behalf, so the web destination sees the server’s IP address instead of yours. It keeps your IP address and other identifying information hidden from the websites you access online.
Providing SSL encryption and decryption. Some proxy server types can handle SSL/TLS encryption and decryption. It allows the web server to focus on processing requests rather than dealing with cryptography.