Meta-owned WhatsApp on Thursday launched a proxy support for users all over the world, like millions of people in Iran and elsewhere who continue to be denied the right to communicate freely and privately.
Choosing a proxy will enable them to connect to WhatsApp through servers set up by volunteers and organisations around the world dedicated to helping people communicate freely.
"We are making it easier for anyone to connect to WhatsApp using a proxy. So when a connection to WhatsApp is blocked, people have the power to restore access," said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp.
End-to-end encryption intact
The company said that connecting via proxy maintains the high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides.
"Your personal messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption - ensuring they stay between you and the person you're communicating with and are not visible to anyone in between, not the proxy servers, WhatsApp, or Meta," it said in a blog post.
This option is now available in the settings menu for everyone running the latest version of WhatsApp.
(With inputs from IANS)
