WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
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WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
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Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#2I'd be interested in hearing WhatsApp's response to this.
Or moxie's, for that matter. He's been contacted by the Saudi government before and publicly turned down their offers to be complicit in their human rights violations. (He also wrote the encryption that WhatsApp uses.)
https://moxie.org/blog/saudi-surveillance/
More importantly, can anyone independently verify this? :)
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#3They're simply providing a better user experience. The Saudis blocked encrypted calls, and users would have wait staring at frustrating repeated timeouts and long 'connecting' hangs.
Therefore Whatsapp simply said OK, let's just improve the users experience by giving them an immediate error informing them.
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#4WhatApp does the same for UAE numbers. If I initiate a call to my sister who lives in UAE I get an error saying that "Whatsapp calling is unavailable in the UAE" or something along those lines.
We worked around it by installing Signal, but she needs a VPN to be able to access it since it's completely blocked in the UAE (as well as Oman).
We get around this by texting each other before hand on whatsapp with the keyword "vpn" and then talk to each other over Signal. Quite the hassle.
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#5I'd be interested in hearing WhatsApp's response to this. Or moxie's, for that matter. He's been contacted by the Saudi government before and publicly turned down their offers to be complicit in their human rights violations. (He also wrote the encryption that WhatsApp uses.) https://moxie.org/blog/saudi-surveillance/ More importantly, can anyone independently verify this? :)
Verification is not that complicated.
1- Find someone outside of KSA with a +966 number
2- Try
3- See if it works
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#6WhatApp does the same for UAE numbers. If I initiate a call to my sister who lives in UAE I get an error saying that "Whatsapp calling is unavailable in the UAE" or something along those lines. We worked around it by installing Signal, but she needs a VPN to be able to access it since it's completely blocked in the UAE (as well as Oman). We get around this by texting each other before hand on whatsapp with the keywor…
Why not VPN all the time?
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#7They're simply providing a better user experience. The Saudis blocked encrypted calls, and users would have wait staring at frustrating repeated timeouts and long 'connecting' hangs. Therefore Whatsapp simply said OK, let's just improve the users experience by giving them an immediate error informing them.
_insert quote about the simpler explanation being far more likely than a nefarious one here_
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#8Same is true of Egypt as well, but I presumed that WhatsApp checks and knows when telcos were just blocking degrading their service in generally, not specifically for encryption.
Quite ironically, I wonder if the Saudis remember Moxie at all ...
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#9They're simply providing a better user experience. The Saudis blocked encrypted calls, and users would have wait staring at frustrating repeated timeouts and long 'connecting' hangs. Therefore Whatsapp simply said OK, let's just improve the users experience by giving them an immediate error informing them.
That doesn't explain why they lied about it.
Re: WhatsApp Blocking Encrypted Calls to All Saudi Numbers
#10I think it should be clear that the Saudi government are the ones who are blocking this type of encrypted communication. WhatsApp is just taking the handling of this blockage and integrating it into the app UX so that its users understand what the problem is.