WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart has claimed “tens of millions” of people are secretly using the service despite bans.
Along with many Western apps, Meta’s messaging platform is banned in Iran, North Korea and Syria. China joined that list last last month, and other countries like Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and the UAE restrict certain features.
However, WhatsApp can see where its users are based due to their phone numbers — and it appears many people are using technical workarounds to bypass the bans.
“You’d be surprised how many people have figured it out,” Cathcart told BBC News.
“We have a lot of anecdotal reports of people using WhatsApp, and what we can do is look at some of the countries where we’re seeing blocking and still see tens of millions of people connecting to WhatsApp,” he added.
Last month, China ordered Apple to block Chinese iPhone users from downloading the app, although Android can still get the secure platform without going through official app stores.
Still, the prevalence of VPNs and WhatsApp’s own proxy service means the app is still accessible.
“We take a lot of pride in the fact that we’re providing secure private communication that is free from surveillance of authoritarian governments — or even censorship from the government — to people all around the world who otherwise wouldn’t have it. But it is a constant threat and a constant battle,” Cathcart added.
There have been moves from governments — including in the U.K. — to ban end-to-end encryption, which allows authorities to access suspected criminals’ messages.
“People care about privacy, whether they’re aware of end-to-end encryption and what it is and how it works. And that’s one of the reasons we’ve had to communicate so much about it — it is to be really clear about what it means and what’s at stake,” Cathcart said.
