WhatsApp has updated its Help Center to recommend two specific VPN providers, Mullvad and Amnezia, for users facing network restrictions. The messaging app highlights these Sweden- and Cyprus-based services as well-regarded options for maintaining access. This guidance comes amid widespread internet censorship in various regions.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, advises users encountering connectivity issues to use virtual private networks to access the service. In a dedicated Help Center page on connecting when networks fail, the app names Mullvad, based in Sweden, and Amnezia, based in Cyprus, as "well-regarded providers." It also links to guidance from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on selecting appropriate VPNs.
Mullvad was launched in March 2009 by Amagicom AB in Gothenburg, Sweden. CNET's review praises it as excellent for "privacy-first VPN user" and those on a budget, with the tagline "Privacy is for the people." The service does not require an email or personal details for signup, issuing an account number instead. It receives high ratings from outlets like CNET, Engadget, VPNOverview, Tom's Guide, and Wired.
Amnezia emphasizes user privacy with the statement: "We defend users' right to privacy and help keep the internet free, no matter where in the world you are." It offers a self-hosted option, allowing customers to set up VPNs via rented virtual private servers, including features such as split-tunneling and a kill switch.
VPNs encrypt internet traffic through a remote server, masking IP addresses and bypassing restrictions. They are essential in areas with censorship, where 17 Asian and 8 African countries restrict social media and messaging apps, per Surfshark's Internet Shutdown Tracker. Russia and Belarus lead in European censorship.
Thorin Klosowski of the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes that VPNs help with region-based IP blocking to access WhatsApp in some locations. However, they are not foolproof, as some governments block VPNs themselves, and WhatsApp and Signal provide proxy servers as alternatives. WhatsApp did not explain its specific choices, and representatives from the companies did not respond to comment requests.