Updates to WhatsApp from Meta now provide users additional freedom in the type of information that can be shared in discussions.
According to WhatsApp, this includes the ability to transmit and receive files, stickers, GIFs, voice notes, and stickers. BBC Persian was the first to report about the new features.
Other upgrades include shortened procedures to make setup easier and the addition of links that can be shared with others so they may “share functioning/valid proxy addresses to their contacts for easy and automatic installation.”
In early January, the messaging platform formally introduced support for proxy servers, enabling users to get over censorship and internet blackouts imposed by their governments and gain indirect access to WhatsApp.
A reference implementation for configuring a proxy server with open ports 80, 443, or 5222 and a domain name pointing to the server’s IP address has also been made available by the corporation.
According to WhatsApp, a proxy server acts as a middleman between the app and outside servers. Users are able to add verified proxy addresses to their WhatsApp accounts by finding reputable profiles on social media that publish them frequently.
Around the world, internet outages have become more frequent amid emergencies, conflicts, acts of racial or religious violence, and to stop test cheating. At least 187 internet shutdowns were implemented by authorities in 35 countries in 2022; 80 have already been implemented in the first five months of 2023.
In 2022, India alone enacted 84 shutdowns, making it the leading democratic nation to do so for the fifth consecutive year.
