第1705期: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. The company – owned by Facebook’s parent Meta – recently announced it would let users connect to WhatsApp through proxy servers.

消息服务 WhatsApp 增加了对一种工具的支持，以帮助用户在政府封锁互联网时保持在线。该公司由 Facebook 的母公司 Meta 所有，最近宣布将允许用户通过代理服务器连接到 WhatsApp。

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.

代理充当桥梁，通过其他地方的服务器将用户连接到互联网。代理服务器可以由世界各地的个人或组织设立。代理系统可以允许人们上网，即使政府限制或切断了他们所在地区的互联网服务。 WhatsApp 在其公告中表示，代理工具代表着一种努力，即在互联网被封锁或限制时“将权力交到人们手中”以连接到其服务。

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.

该公司表示，已为全球 WhatsApp 用户推出代理支持。然而，在其声明中，WhatsApp 将伊朗列为政府封锁互联网数月的国家。 WhatsApp 表示，此类行为“剥夺了人们的人权，并使人们无法获得紧急帮助”。伊朗政府有切断互联网和消息服务的历史。 2018 年，伊朗官员命令互联网服务提供商屏蔽消息服务 Telegram。当时，伊朗估计有 4000 万 Telegram 用户，几乎是该国人口的一半。

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.

Telegram 被禁止之际，伊朗许多城市发生了广泛的示威活动，抗议政府的经济政策。最近几个月，伊朗在该国的库尔德斯坦省和主要城市发生了广泛的示威活动。抗议活动是在一名 22 岁的妇女在被警方拘留期间死亡后开始的。这名名叫 Mahsa Amini 的妇女被伊朗“道德警察”的官员逮捕。道德警察负责监督伊朗在公共场合对行为和着装的限制的执行情况。阿米尼因违反该国的伊斯兰着装规定而被捕。

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.

由于与阿米尼之死有关的抗议活动爆发，伊朗封锁了 WhatsApp 以及 Meta 拥有的服务 Instagram。该公司表示，使用代理服务器不会改变“WhatsApp 提供的高度隐私和安全性”。例如，它表示通过该服务发送的所有个人信息仍将受到端到端加密的保护。加密是将信息或数据转换为代码形式以隐藏信息的过程。 WhatsApp 为希望使用代理服务器的用户提供分步说明。该公司还为想要为用户设置代理服务器的志愿者和组织创建了指南。

Some users in countries facing government interference use virtual private networks (VPNs) to connect to the internet. A VPN uses software to link to private computer networks in other areas to make it appear that a device or computer is operating in another country. There are some similarities between VPNs and proxy servers. But one difference is that, in addition to hiding where users are operating from, VPNs also encrypt a user’s internet data. In September, WhatsApp competitor Signal announced it was offering proxy server support so users in Iran could use that service.

面临政府干预的国家/地区的一些用户使用虚拟专用网络 (VPN) 连接到互联网。 VPN 使用软件链接到其他地区的私人计算机网络，使设备或计算机看起来像是在另一个国家/地区运行。 VPN 和代理服务器之间有一些相似之处。但一个区别是，除了隐藏用户操作的位置外，VPN 还会加密用户的互联网数据。 9 月，WhatsApp 的竞争对手 Signal 宣布提供代理服务器支持，以便伊朗用户可以使用该服务。

In a report issued in June, the United Nations Human Rights Office said it had documented 931 internet shutdowns in 74 countries between 2016 and 2021. “Shutdowns are powerful markers of sharply deteriorating human rights situations,” the report said. The U.N. also noted that internet blockages carry major economic costs across many industries. Economic harms caused by shutdowns, the report said, “are felt over long periods of time, greatly exacerbating pre-existing social and economic inequalities.”

联合国人权办公室在 6 月发布的一份报告中表示，它记录了 2016 年至 2021 年间 74 个国家/地区的 931 次互联网关闭。“关闭是人权状况急剧恶化的有力标志，”报告称。联合国还指出，互联网封锁给许多行业带来了重大的经济成本。报告称，停工造成的经济危害“在很长一段时间内都能感受到，极大地加剧了先前存在的社会和经济不平等。”