<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
(	O
also	O
called	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
)	O
is	O
an	O
internationally	O
available	O
freeware	B-License
,	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
,	O
centralized	B-General_Concept
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
and	O
voice-over-IP	B-Application
(	O
VoIP	B-Application
)	O
service	O
owned	O
by	O
US	O
tech	O
conglomerate	O
Meta	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
send	O
text	O
and	O
voice	O
messages	O
,	O
make	O
voice	O
and	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
,	O
and	O
share	O
images	O
,	O
documents	O
,	O
user	O
locations	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
client	B-Protocol
application	I-Protocol
runs	O
on	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
from	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
released	O
a	O
standalone	O
business	O
app	O
called	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Business	O
which	O
can	O
communicate	O
with	O
the	O
standard	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
client	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
of	O
Mountain	O
View	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Facebook	B-Application
in	O
February	O
2014	O
for	O
approximately	O
US	O
$19.3	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
February	O
2009	O
by	O
Brian	O
Acton	O
and	O
Jan	O
Koum	O
,	O
former	O
employees	O
of	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2009	O
,	O
after	O
Koum	O
purchased	O
an	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
he	O
and	O
Acton	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
app	O
for	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
realized	O
that	O
to	O
take	O
the	O
idea	O
further	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
need	O
an	O
iPhone	B-Device
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koum	O
named	O
the	O
app	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
sound	O
like	O
"	O
what	O
's	O
up	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
24	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
he	O
incorporated	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
in	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
when	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
kept	O
crashing	B-General_Concept
,	O
Koum	O
considered	O
giving	O
up	O
and	O
looking	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
job	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2009	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
app	O
had	O
been	O
downloaded	O
by	O
only	O
a	O
handful	O
of	O
Fishman	O
's	O
Russian-speaking	O
friends	O
,	O
Apple	O
launched	O
push	B-General_Concept
notifications	I-General_Concept
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
be	O
pinged	O
even	O
when	O
not	O
using	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koum	O
updated	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
so	O
that	O
everyone	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
network	O
would	O
be	O
notified	O
when	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
status	O
changed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fishman	O
said	O
"	O
At	O
some	O
point	O
it	O
sort	O
of	O
became	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
2.0	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2009	O
with	O
a	O
purpose-designed	O
messaging	O
component	O
;	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
active	O
users	O
suddenly	O
increased	O
to	O
250,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2009	O
,	O
Acton	O
persuaded	O
five	O
former	O
friends	O
at	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
He	O
officially	O
joined	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
on	O
November	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
months	O
at	O
beta	O
stage	O
,	O
the	O
application	O
launched	O
in	O
November	O
2009	O
on	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koum	O
then	O
hired	O
a	O
friend	O
in	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
,	O
Chris	O
Peiffer	O
,	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
which	O
arrived	O
two	O
months	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
for	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
was	O
added	O
in	O
May	O
2010	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
OS	I-Application
in	O
August	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
Google	B-Application
made	O
multiple	O
acquisition	O
offers	O
for	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
which	O
were	O
all	O
declined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
cover	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
sending	O
verification	O
texts	O
to	O
users	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
changed	O
from	O
a	O
free	O
service	O
to	O
a	O
paid	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
send	O
photos	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
early	O
2011	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
20	O
apps	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Apple	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
February	O
2013	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
about	O
200	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
and	O
50	O
staff	O
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sequoia	O
invested	O
another	O
$50	O
million	O
,	O
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
valued	O
at	O
$1.5	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
time	O
in	O
2013	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
acquired	O
Santa	O
Clara-based	O
startup	O
SkyMobius	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
Vtok	O
,	O
a	O
video	O
and	O
voice	O
calling	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
December	O
2013	O
blog	O
post	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
claimed	O
that	O
400	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
used	O
the	O
service	O
each	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
19	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
a	O
venture	O
capital	O
financing	O
round	O
at	O
a	O
$1.5	O
billion	O
valuation	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
now	O
Meta	O
Platforms	O
)	O
announced	O
it	O
was	O
acquiring	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
for	O
US$19billion	O
,	O
its	O
largest	O
acquisition	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
advised	O
by	O
Allen	O
&	O
Co	O
,	O
paid	O
$4billion	O
in	O
cash	O
,	O
$12billion	O
in	O
Facebook	B-Application
shares	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
advised	O
by	O
Morgan	O
Stanley	O
,	O
an	O
additional	O
$3billion	O
in	O
restricted	O
stock	O
units	O
granted	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
founders	O
Koum	O
and	O
Acton	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	O
after	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
experienced	O
a	O
loss	O
of	O
service	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
anger	O
across	O
social	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
acquisition	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
data	O
provided	O
by	O
Onavo	B-Application
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
research	O
app	O
for	O
monitoring	O
competitors	O
and	O
trending	O
usage	O
of	O
social	O
activities	O
on	O
mobile	O
phones	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
startups	O
that	O
were	O
performing	O
"	O
unusually	O
well	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
claimed	O
that	O
it	O
acquired	O
8million	O
new	O
users	O
;	O
and	O
Line	B-Application
,	O
2million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
keynote	O
presentation	O
at	O
the	O
Mobile	O
World	O
Congress	O
in	O
Barcelona	O
in	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
CEO	O
Mark	O
Zuckerberg	O
said	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
acquisition	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
closely	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
Internet.org	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
could	O
be	O
a	O
social	O
networking	O
service	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
a	O
messaging	O
service	O
,	O
maybe	O
search	O
and	O
other	O
things	O
like	O
weather	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
days	O
after	O
announcing	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
purchase	O
,	O
Koum	O
said	O
they	O
were	O
working	O
to	O
introduce	O
voice	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
new	O
mobile	O
phones	O
would	O
be	O
sold	O
in	O
Germany	O
with	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
brand	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
their	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
on	O
all	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
600million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
early	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
700million	O
monthly	O
users	O
and	O
over	O
30billion	O
messages	O
every	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
Forbes	O
predicted	O
that	O
between	O
2012	O
and	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
telecommunications	O
industry	O
would	O
lose	O
$386billion	O
because	O
of	O
"	O
over-the-top	O
"	O
services	O
like	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
Skype	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
month	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
over	O
800million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
WhatsApp	B-Application
client	B-Protocol
made	O
links	O
to	O
messaging	B-Application
service	I-Application
Telegram	I-Application
unclickable	O
and	O
uncopyable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
sources	O
confirmed	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
intentional	O
,	O
not	O
a	O
bug	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
implemented	O
when	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
source	O
code	O
that	O
recognized	O
Telegram	B-Application
URLs	O
had	O
been	O
identified	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
The	O
word	O
"	O
telegram	B-Application
"	O
appeared	O
in	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
code	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
considered	O
it	O
an	O
anti-competitive	O
measure	O
;	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
offered	O
no	O
explanation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
18	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
co-founder	O
Jan	O
Koum	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
charge	O
users	O
a	O
$1	O
annual	O
subscription	O
fee	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
remove	O
a	O
barrier	O
faced	O
by	O
users	O
without	O
payment	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
blog	O
reported	O
more	O
than	O
100million	O
voice	O
calls	O
per	O
day	O
were	O
being	O
placed	O
on	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
10	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
use	O
their	O
email	O
addresses	O
for	O
further	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
ceased	O
collecting	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
data	O
for	O
advertising	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
between	O
two	O
accounts	O
were	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
24	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
(	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
8th	O
birthday	O
)	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
new	O
Status	O
feature	O
similar	O
to	O
Snapchat	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
stories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
18	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Commission	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
fining	O
Facebook	B-Application
€110million	O
for	O
"	O
providing	O
misleading	O
information	O
about	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
takeover	O
"	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Commission	O
said	O
that	O
in	O
2014	O
when	O
Facebook	B-Application
acquired	O
the	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
it	O
"	O
falsely	O
claimed	O
it	O
was	O
technically	O
impossible	O
to	O
automatically	O
combine	O
user	O
information	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
WhatsApp.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
begun	O
sharing	O
user	O
information	O
with	O
its	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
allowing	O
information	O
such	O
as	O
phone	O
numbers	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
targeted	O
Facebook	B-Application
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
acknowledged	O
the	O
breach	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
the	O
errors	O
in	O
their	O
2014	O
filings	O
were	O
"	O
not	O
intentional	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
co-founder	O
Brian	O
Acton	O
left	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
start	O
a	O
nonprofit	O
group	O
,	O
later	O
revealed	O
as	O
the	O
Signal	B-Application
Foundation	O
,	O
which	O
developed	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
competitor	O
Signal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
also	O
announced	O
a	O
forthcoming	O
business	O
platform	O
to	O
enable	O
companies	O
to	O
provide	O
customer	O
service	O
at	O
scale	O
,	O
and	O
airlines	O
KLM	B-General_Concept
and	O
Aeroméxico	O
announced	O
their	O
participation	O
in	O
the	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
airlines	O
had	O
previously	O
launched	O
customer	O
services	O
on	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
Messenger	B-Protocol
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Business	O
for	O
small	O
business	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
co-founder	O
and	O
CEO	O
Jan	O
Koum	O
announced	O
he	O
would	O
be	O
leaving	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
leaving	O
before	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
concerns	O
about	O
privacy	O
,	O
advertising	O
,	O
and	O
monetization	O
by	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Acton	O
and	O
Koum	O
gave	O
up	O
$1.3	O
billion	O
in	O
unvested	O
stock	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
later	O
announced	O
that	O
Koum	O
's	O
replacement	O
would	O
be	O
Chris	O
Daniels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
introduced	O
group	O
audio	O
and	O
video	B-Application
call	I-Application
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Swipe	O
to	O
Reply	O
"	O
option	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
beta	O
version	O
,	O
16	O
months	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
introduced	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
support	O
for	O
Stickers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
unlike	O
other	O
platforms	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
requires	O
third-party	O
apps	O
to	O
add	O
Stickers	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
25	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
an	O
investment	O
of	O
$	O
250,000	O
through	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
Startup	O
India	O
to	O
provide	O
500	O
startups	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
ad	O
credits	O
of	O
$500	O
each	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
update	O
would	O
lock	O
out	O
any	O
Apple	O
users	O
who	O
had	O
n't	O
updated	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
9	O
or	O
higher	O
and	O
Samsung	O
,	O
Huawei	O
,	O
Sony	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
users	O
who	O
had	O
n't	O
updated	O
to	O
version	O
4.0	O
by	O
February	O
1	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
reported	O
that	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
operating	O
systems	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
supported	O
after	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
announced	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
3rd	O
most	O
downloaded	O
mobile	B-Application
phone	I-Application
app	I-Application
of	O
the	O
decade	O
2010	O
–	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
its	O
"	O
dark	O
mode	O
"	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
–	O
a	O
new	O
design	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
darker	O
palette	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
the	O
World	O
Health	O
Organization	O
and	O
UNICEF	O
to	O
provide	O
messaging	O
hotlines	O
for	O
people	O
to	O
get	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
2019	O
–	O
2020	O
coronavirus	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
began	O
testing	O
a	O
feature	O
to	O
help	O
users	O
find	O
out	O
more	O
information	O
and	O
context	O
about	O
information	O
they	O
receive	O
to	O
help	O
combat	O
misinformation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
a	O
feature	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
mute	O
both	O
individuals	O
and	O
group	O
chats	O
forever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
Privacy	O
Policy	O
allowing	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
share	O
data	O
with	O
its	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
;	O
users	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
accept	O
by	O
February	O
8	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
would	O
lose	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facing	O
criticism	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
postponed	O
the	O
update	O
to	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
they	O
had	O
no	O
plans	O
to	O
limit	O
functionality	O
of	O
or	O
nag	O
users	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
approve	O
the	O
new	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
started	O
rolling	O
out	O
support	O
for	O
third-party	O
animated	O
stickers	O
,	O
initially	O
in	O
Iran	O
,	O
Brazil	O
and	O
Indonesia	O
,	O
then	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
forthcoming	O
support	O
for	O
sending	O
uncompressed	O
images	O
and	O
videos	O
in	O
3	O
options	O
:	O
Auto	O
,	O
Best	O
Quality	O
and	O
Data	O
Saver	O
,	O
and	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
for	O
backups	O
stored	O
in	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
cloud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
also	O
testing	O
multi-device	O
support	O
,	O
allowing	O
Computer	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
without	O
an	O
active	O
phone	O
session	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
4	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
had	O
its	O
worst	O
outage	O
since	O
2008	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
affected	O
other	O
platforms	O
owned	O
by	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Instagram	B-Application
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
the	O
facility	O
to	O
hide	O
users	O
 '	O
online	O
status	O
(	O
"	O
Last	O
Seen	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
changed	O
the	O
default	O
setting	O
from	O
"	O
everyone	O
"	O
to	O
only	O
people	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
contacts	O
or	O
who	O
have	O
been	O
conversed	O
with	O
(	O
"	O
nobody	O
"	O
is	O
also	O
an	O
option	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
undated	O
plans	O
to	O
roll	O
out	O
a	O
Communities	O
feature	O
allowing	O
several	O
group	O
chats	O
to	O
exist	O
in	O
a	O
shared	O
space	O
,	O
getting	O
unified	O
notifications	O
and	O
opening	O
up	O
smaller	O
discussion	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2022	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
an	O
integration	O
with	O
JioMart	O
,	O
available	O
only	O
to	O
users	O
in	O
India	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
months	O
at	O
beta	O
stage	O
,	O
the	O
official	O
first	O
release	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
launched	O
in	O
November	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2010	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
smartphones	B-Application
was	O
added	O
;	O
and	O
subsequently	O
for	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
in	O
May	O
2010	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
OS	I-Application
in	O
August	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2011	O
,	O
a	O
beta	O
for	O
Nokia	O
's	O
non-smartphone	O
OS	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
was	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
was	O
added	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10	I-Application
in	O
March	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
Samsung	O
's	O
Tizen	B-Application
OS	I-Application
was	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
oldest	O
device	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
the	O
Symbian-based	O
Nokia	B-Language
N95	I-Language
released	O
in	O
March	O
2007	O
,	O
but	O
support	O
was	O
later	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
released	O
an	O
update	O
,	O
adding	O
support	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
Wear	I-Application
smartwatches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
,	O
a	O
browser-based	O
web	O
client	B-Protocol
that	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
syncing	O
with	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
device	I-Application
's	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
26	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
they	O
would	O
cease	O
support	O
for	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
(	O
including	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Series	I-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
S60	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
older	O
versions	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
(	O
2.2	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
(	O
7.0	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
(	O
6	O
)	O
,	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
,	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Series	I-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
support	O
was	O
then	O
extended	O
to	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
and	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
was	O
once	O
again	O
extended	O
until	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
while	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
was	O
dropped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
and	O
older	O
(	O
version	O
8.0	O
)	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
and	O
older	O
(	O
version	O
6	O
)	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
was	O
dropped	O
on	O
January	O
1	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
extended	O
to	O
December	O
2018	O
for	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Series	I-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
would	O
soon	O
be	O
available	O
for	O
KaiOS	B-Device
feature	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
officially	O
launched	O
a	O
new	O
fingerprint	O
app-locking	O
feature	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
allows	O
chat	B-Application
history	O
to	O
be	O
transferred	O
between	O
mobile	O
operating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
implemented	O
only	O
on	O
Samsung	O
phones	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
expand	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
"	O
soon	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
principal	O
platforms	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
fully	O
supported	O
,	O
are	O
devices	O
supporting	O
mobile	O
telephony	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
and	O
iPhones	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
officially	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
PCs	O
through	O
a	O
web	O
client	B-Protocol
,	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
,	O
in	O
late	O
January	O
2015	O
through	O
an	O
announcement	O
made	O
by	O
Koum	O
on	O
his	O
Facebook	B-Application
page	O
:	O
"	O
Our	O
web	O
client	B-Protocol
is	O
simply	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
your	O
phone	O
:	O
the	O
web	O
browser	O
mirrors	O
conversations	O
and	O
messages	O
from	O
your	O
mobile	B-Application
device	I-Application
—	O
this	O
means	O
all	O
of	O
your	O
messages	O
still	O
live	O
on	O
your	O
phone	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
desktop	O
version	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
on	O
,	O
it	O
also	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Series	I-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Nokia	O
S60	O
(	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previously	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
user	O
's	O
handset	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
for	O
the	O
browser	O
application	O
to	O
function	O
but	O
as	O
of	O
an	O
update	O
in	O
October	O
2021	O
that	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
the	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
major	O
desktop	O
browsers	O
are	O
supported	O
except	O
for	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
's	O
user	O
interface	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
default	O
Android	B-Application
one	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
through	O
web.whatsapp.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Access	O
is	O
granted	O
after	O
the	O
users	O
scan	O
their	O
personal	O
QR	O
code	O
through	O
their	O
mobile	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
similar	O
solutions	O
for	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
open-source	O
ChitChat	O
,	O
previously	O
known	O
as	O
WhatsMac	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
limited	O
Android	B-Application
beta	O
version	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
without	O
having	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
connected	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
this	O
beta	O
feature	O
was	O
extended	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
linked	O
devices	O
(	O
using	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Desktop	O
or	O
Facebook	B-Application
Portal	O
)	O
will	O
become	O
disconnected	O
if	O
people	O
do	O
n't	O
use	O
their	O
phone	O
for	O
over	O
14	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
multi-device	O
beta	O
is	O
integrated	O
by	O
default	O
in	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
users	O
cannot	O
check	O
old	O
messages	O
on	O
the	O
web	O
version	O
anymore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
10	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
messaging	O
service	O
was	O
introduced	O
for	O
both	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
and	O
macOS	B-Application
operating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Web	I-Application
format	O
,	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
which	O
synchronises	O
with	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
mobile	B-Application
device	I-Application
,	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
on	O
the	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
supports	O
operating	O
systems	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
OS	B-Device
X	I-Device
10.10	I-Device
and	O
higher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iPad	O
users	O
searching	O
for	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
are	O
shown	O
numerous	O
third-party	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
top	O
results	O
have	O
names	O
and	O
logos	O
resembling	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
itself	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
users	O
do	O
not	O
realize	O
they	O
are	O
using	O
a	O
third-party	O
client	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Per	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
policy	O
,	O
using	O
third-party	O
clients	O
can	O
result	O
in	O
the	O
account	O
getting	O
permanently	O
banned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
does	O
not	O
have	O
an	O
official	O
iPad	O
client	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2022	O
interview	O
with	O
The	O
Verge	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
chief	O
Will	O
Cathcart	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
"[p]eople	O
have	O
wanted	O
an	O
iPad	B-Application
app	I-Application
for	O
a	O
long	O
time	O
"	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
would	O
"	O
love	O
to	O
do	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
customized	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
open	O
standard	O
Extensible	B-Protocol
Messaging	I-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
Presence	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
installation	O
,	O
it	O
creates	O
a	O
user	O
account	O
using	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
phone	O
number	O
as	O
the	O
username	O
(	O
Jabber	B-Protocol
ID	O
:	O
[	O
phone	O
number ]	O
@s	O
.whatsapp.net	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
software	O
automatically	O
compares	O
all	O
the	O
phone	O
numbers	O
from	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
address	O
book	O
with	O
its	O
central	O
database	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
to	O
automatically	O
add	O
contacts	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
contact	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previously	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Series	I-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
versions	O
used	O
an	O
MD5-hashed	O
,	O
reversed-version	O
of	O
the	O
phone	O
's	O
IMEI	O
as	O
password	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
used	O
the	O
phone	O
's	O
Wi-Fi	O
MAC	O
address	O
instead	O
of	O
IMEI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
</s>
<s>
Some	O
devices	O
using	O
dual	O
SIMs	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
though	O
there	O
are	O
unofficial	O
workarounds	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2015	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
implemented	O
voice	O
calling	O
,	O
which	O
helped	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
attract	O
a	O
different	O
segment	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
population	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
voice	B-Application
codec	I-Application
is	O
Opus	B-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
uses	O
the	O
modified	O
discrete	O
cosine	O
transform	O
(	O
MDCT	O
)	O
and	O
linear	B-Algorithm
predictive	I-Algorithm
coding	I-Algorithm
(	O
LPC	O
)	O
audio	O
compression	O
algorithms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
uses	O
Opus	B-Algorithm
at	O
816	O
kHz	O
sampling	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
14	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
for	O
users	O
using	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
implemented	O
a	O
feature	O
giving	O
users	O
seven	O
minutes	O
to	O
delete	O
messages	O
sent	O
by	O
mistake	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multimedia	O
messages	O
are	O
sent	O
by	O
uploading	O
the	O
image	O
,	O
audio	O
or	O
video	O
to	O
be	O
sent	O
to	O
an	O
HTTP	B-Application
server	I-Application
and	O
then	O
sending	O
a	O
link	O
to	O
the	O
content	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
Base64	B-Protocol
encoded	I-Protocol
thumbnail	O
,	O
if	O
applicable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
"	O
store	B-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
forward	I-Protocol
"	O
mechanism	O
for	O
exchanging	O
messages	O
between	O
two	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
user	O
sends	O
a	O
message	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
stored	O
on	O
a	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
server	O
,	O
which	O
tries	O
to	O
forward	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
addressee	O
,	O
and	O
repeatedly	O
requests	O
acknowledgement	O
of	O
receipt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
18	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Open	O
Whisper	O
Systems	O
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
provide	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
by	O
incorporating	O
the	O
encryption	O
protocol	O
used	O
in	O
Signal	B-Application
into	O
each	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
client	B-Protocol
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Open	O
Whisper	O
Systems	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
already	O
incorporated	O
the	O
protocol	O
into	O
the	O
latest	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
client	B-Protocol
for	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
clients	O
,	O
group/media	O
messages	O
,	O
and	O
key	O
verification	O
would	O
be	O
coming	O
soon	O
after	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
confirmed	O
the	O
partnership	O
to	O
reporters	O
,	O
but	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
announcement	O
or	O
documentation	O
about	O
the	O
encryption	O
feature	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
website	O
,	O
and	O
further	O
requests	O
for	O
comment	O
were	O
declined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
German	O
magazine	O
Heise	O
Security	O
used	O
ARP	O
spoofing	O
to	O
confirm	O
that	O
the	O
protocol	O
had	O
been	O
implemented	O
for	O
Android-to-Android	O
messages	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
messages	O
from	O
or	O
to	O
iPhones	B-Device
running	O
iOS	B-Application
were	O
still	O
not	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
expressed	O
the	O
concern	O
that	O
regular	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
still	O
could	O
not	O
tell	O
the	O
difference	O
between	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
messages	O
and	O
regular	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
5	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
Open	O
Whisper	O
Systems	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
finished	O
adding	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
to	O
"	O
every	O
form	O
of	O
communication	O
"	O
on	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
users	O
could	O
now	O
verify	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
white	O
paper	O
that	O
was	O
released	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
messages	O
are	O
encrypted	O
with	O
the	O
Signal	B-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
calls	O
are	O
encrypted	O
with	O
SRTP	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
all	O
client-server	O
communications	O
are	O
"	O
layered	O
within	O
a	O
separate	O
encrypted	O
channel	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
14	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
for	O
backups	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
application	O
can	O
store	O
encrypted	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
chat	B-Application
messages	O
onto	O
the	O
SD	O
card	O
,	O
however	O
chat	B-Application
messages	O
are	O
also	O
stored	O
unencrypted	O
in	O
the	O
SQLite	B-Language
database	O
file	O
"	O
msgstore.db	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
Payments	O
(	O
marketed	O
as	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Pay	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
peer-to-peer	O
money	O
transfer	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
received	O
permission	O
from	O
the	O
National	O
Payments	O
Corporation	O
of	O
India	O
(	O
NPCI	O
)	O
to	O
enter	O
into	O
partnership	O
with	O
multiple	O
banks	O
in	O
July	O
2017	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
make	O
in-app	O
payments	O
and	O
money	O
transfers	O
using	O
the	O
Unified	O
Payments	O
Interface	O
(	O
UPI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
UPI	O
enables	O
account-to-account	O
transfers	O
from	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
without	O
having	O
any	O
details	O
of	O
the	O
beneficiary	O
's	O
bank	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
having	O
received	O
approval	O
,	O
provided	O
a	O
payment	O
service	O
,	O
initially	O
restricted	O
to	O
not	O
more	O
than	O
20	O
million	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
generally	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
became	O
available	O
in	O
India	O
and	O
Brazil	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Singapore	O
for	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Business	O
transactions	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
reported	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
was	O
"	O
hoping	O
to	O
succeed	O
where	O
Bitcoin	B-Protocol
failed	O
"	O
by	O
developing	O
an	O
in-house	O
cryptocurrency	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
incorporated	O
into	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
'	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
coin	I-Protocol
 '	O
would	O
reportedly	O
be	O
a	O
stablecoin	B-Protocol
pegged	O
to	O
the	O
value	O
of	O
a	O
basket	O
of	O
different	O
foreign	O
currencies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
said	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
would	O
be	O
named	O
Libra	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
that	O
a	O
digital	O
wallet	O
named	O
"	O
Calibra	O
"	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
integrated	O
into	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
financial	O
regulators	O
in	O
many	O
regions	O
raised	O
concerns	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
the	O
currency	O
,	O
renamed	O
Diem	B-Protocol
since	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
would	O
require	O
a	O
government-issued	O
ID	O
for	O
verification	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
wallet	O
app	O
would	O
have	O
fraud	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meta	O
(	O
formerly	O
Facebook	B-Application
)	O
ended	O
its	O
Novi	O
project	O
on	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
repeatedly	O
imposed	O
limits	O
on	O
message	O
forwarding	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
misinformation	O
in	O
countries	O
including	O
India	O
and	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
the	O
forwarding	O
limits	O
had	O
helped	O
to	O
curb	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
misinformation	O
regarding	O
COVID-19	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
encouraged	O
people	O
to	O
report	O
messages	O
that	O
were	O
fraudulent	O
or	O
incited	O
violence	O
after	O
lynch	O
mobs	O
in	O
India	O
murdered	O
innocent	O
people	O
because	O
of	O
malicious	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
messages	O
falsely	O
accusing	O
the	O
victims	O
of	O
intending	O
to	O
abduct	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
investigation	O
on	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
social	O
media	O
in	O
politics	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
found	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
being	O
abused	O
for	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
fake	O
news	O
in	O
the	O
2018	O
presidential	O
elections	O
in	O
Brazil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Researchers	O
and	O
journalists	O
called	O
on	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
to	O
adopt	O
measures	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
adopted	O
in	O
India	O
and	O
restrict	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
hoaxes	O
and	O
fake	O
news	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
initially	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
encryption	O
,	O
sending	O
information	O
as	O
plaintext	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
it	O
is	O
known	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
makes	O
extensive	O
use	O
of	O
outside	O
contractors	O
and	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
systems	O
to	O
examine	O
user	O
messages	O
,	O
images	O
and	O
videos	O
;	O
and	O
turns	O
over	O
to	O
law	O
enforcement	O
metadata	O
including	O
critical	O
account	O
and	O
location	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
widely	O
praised	O
for	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
and	O
earned	O
a	O
6	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
's	O
"	O
Secure	O
Messaging	O
Scorecard	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
by	O
security	O
researchers	O
and	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
for	O
using	O
backups	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
covered	O
by	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
and	O
allow	O
messages	O
to	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
third-parties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
a	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
in	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
found	O
and	O
fixed	O
that	O
allowed	O
a	O
remote	O
person	O
to	O
install	O
spyware	O
by	O
making	O
a	O
call	O
which	O
did	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
answered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
implementation	O
of	O
a	O
'	O
delete	O
for	O
everyone	O
 '	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iOS	B-Application
users	O
can	O
elect	O
to	O
save	O
media	O
to	O
their	O
camera	O
roll	O
automatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
user	O
deletes	O
media	O
for	O
everyone	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
does	O
not	O
delete	O
images	O
saved	O
in	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
camera	O
roll	O
and	O
so	O
those	O
users	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
released	O
a	O
statement	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
feature	O
is	O
working	O
properly	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
images	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
camera	O
roll	O
cannot	O
be	O
deleted	O
due	O
to	O
Apple	O
's	O
security	O
layers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
released	O
a	O
new	O
privacy	O
feature	O
that	O
let	O
users	O
decide	O
who	O
can	O
add	O
them	O
to	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
confirmed	O
a	O
security	O
flaw	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
hackers	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
malicious	O
GIF	O
image	O
file	O
to	O
gain	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
recipient	O
's	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
recipient	O
opened	O
the	O
gallery	O
within	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
even	O
if	O
not	O
sending	O
the	O
malicious	O
image	O
,	O
the	O
hack	O
is	O
triggered	O
and	O
the	O
device	O
and	O
its	O
contents	O
become	O
vulnerable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
flaw	O
was	O
patched	O
and	O
users	O
were	O
encouraged	O
to	O
update	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
fixed	O
a	O
security	O
flaw	O
that	O
allowed	O
cyber	O
attackers	O
to	O
repeatedly	O
crash	B-General_Concept
the	O
messaging	O
application	O
for	O
all	O
members	O
of	O
group	O
chat	B-Application
,	O
which	O
could	O
only	O
be	O
fixed	O
by	O
forcing	O
the	O
complete	O
uninstall	O
and	O
reinstall	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
bug	O
was	O
discovered	O
by	O
Check	O
Point	O
in	O
August	O
2019	O
and	O
reported	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
security	O
purposes	O
,	O
since	O
February	O
1	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
been	O
made	O
unavailable	O
on	O
smartphones	B-Application
using	O
legacy	O
operating	O
systems	O
like	O
Android	B-Application
2.3.7	O
or	O
older	O
and	O
iPhone	B-Device
iOS	B-Application
8	O
or	O
older	O
that	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
updated	O
by	O
their	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
NSO	O
Group	O
held	O
its	O
governmental	O
clients	O
accountable	O
for	O
the	O
allegation	O
of	O
human	O
rights	O
abuses	O
by	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
group	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
brought	O
against	O
the	O
company	O
by	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
threatened	O
to	O
infringe	O
on	O
its	O
clients	O
 '	O
"	O
national	O
security	O
and	O
foreign	O
policy	O
concerns	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
16	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
claim	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
gave	O
Google	B-Application
access	O
to	O
private	O
messages	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
anti-trust	O
case	O
against	O
the	O
latter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
complaint	O
was	O
heavily	O
redacted	O
due	O
to	O
being	O
an	O
ongoing	O
case	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
disclose	O
whether	O
this	O
was	O
alleged	O
tampering	O
with	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
,	O
or	O
Google	B-Application
accessing	O
user	O
backups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
their	O
Privacy	O
Policy	O
which	O
stated	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
would	O
share	O
user	O
data	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
its	O
"	O
family	O
of	O
companies	O
"	O
beginning	O
February	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
were	O
widely	O
criticized	O
for	O
this	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enforcement	O
of	O
the	O
privacy	O
policy	O
was	O
postponed	O
from	O
February	O
8	O
to	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
they	O
had	O
no	O
plans	O
to	O
limit	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
for	O
those	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
approve	O
the	O
new	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
do	O
not	O
limit	O
the	O
app	O
:	O
they	O
simply	O
insist	O
it	O
cannot	O
be	O
used	O
without	O
acceding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
begin	O
offering	O
an	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
service	O
for	O
chat	B-Application
backups	O
,	O
meaning	O
no	O
third	O
party	O
(	O
including	O
both	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
the	O
cloud	O
storage	O
vendor	O
)	O
would	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
new	O
encryption	O
feature	O
added	O
an	O
additional	O
layer	O
of	O
protection	O
to	O
chat	B-Application
backups	O
stored	O
either	O
on	O
Apple	B-Application
iCloud	I-Application
or	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
29	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
an	O
FBI	O
document	O
was	O
uncovered	O
by	O
Rolling	O
Stone	O
,	O
revealing	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
responds	O
to	O
warrants	O
and	O
subpoenas	O
from	O
law	O
enforcement	O
within	O
minutes	O
,	O
providing	O
user	O
metadata	O
to	O
the	O
authorities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
an	O
unsealed	O
surveillance	O
application	O
revealed	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
started	O
tracking	O
seven	O
users	O
from	O
China	O
and	O
Macau	O
in	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
request	O
from	O
US	O
DEA	O
investigators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
2022	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
San	O
Diego-based	O
startup	O
Boldend	O
had	O
developed	O
tools	O
to	O
hack	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
encryption	O
,	O
gaining	O
access	O
to	O
user	O
data	O
,	O
at	O
some	O
point	O
since	O
the	O
startup	O
's	O
inception	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Boldend	O
is	O
financed	O
,	O
in	O
part	O
,	O
by	O
Peter	O
Thiel	O
,	O
a	O
notable	O
investor	O
in	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
a	O
critical	O
security	O
issue	O
in	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
Android	B-Application
video	B-Application
call	I-Application
feature	O
was	O
reported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
integer	O
overflow	O
bug	O
allowed	O
a	O
malicious	O
user	O
to	O
take	O
full	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
victim	O
's	O
application	O
once	O
a	O
video	B-Application
call	I-Application
between	O
two	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
was	O
established	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
been	O
widely	O
used	O
by	O
government	O
institutions	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
although	O
such	O
use	O
is	O
viewed	O
as	O
problematical	O
,	O
often	O
with	O
the	O
intention	O
of	O
avoiding	O
the	O
scrutiny	O
given	O
to	O
official	O
communications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
around	O
500,000	O
National	O
Health	O
Service	O
(	O
NHS	O
)	O
staff	O
used	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
other	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
systems	O
at	O
work	O
and	O
around	O
29,000	O
had	O
faced	O
disciplinary	O
action	O
for	O
doing	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
several	O
instances	O
when	O
members	O
of	O
Parliament	O
,	O
government	O
ministers	O
,	O
and	O
officials	O
wished	O
to	O
avoid	O
scrutiny	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
used	O
despite	O
there	O
being	O
official	O
channels	O
;	O
the	O
information	O
commissioner	O
said	O
that	O
this	O
posed	O
risks	O
for	O
transparency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
released	O
a	O
guide	O
for	O
users	O
who	O
had	O
installed	O
unofficial	O
modified	O
versions	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
warned	O
that	O
it	O
may	O
ban	O
those	O
using	O
unofficial	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
attacked	O
by	O
hackers	O
who	O
installed	O
spyware	O
on	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
victims	O
 '	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hack	O
,	O
allegedly	O
developed	O
by	O
Israeli	O
surveillance	O
technology	O
firm	O
NSO	O
Group	O
,	O
injected	O
malware	O
onto	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
 '	O
phones	O
via	O
a	O
remote-exploit	O
bug	O
in	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
calling	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
29	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
NSO	O
Group	O
in	O
a	O
San	O
Francisco	O
court	O
,	O
claiming	O
that	O
the	O
alleged	O
cyberattack	O
violated	O
US	O
laws	O
including	O
the	O
Computer	O
Fraud	O
and	O
Abuse	O
Act	O
(	O
CFAA	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
the	O
exploit	O
"	O
targeted	O
at	O
least	O
100	O
human-rights	O
defenders	O
,	O
journalists	O
and	O
other	O
members	O
of	O
civil	O
society	O
"	O
among	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
1,400	O
users	O
in	O
20	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
NSO	O
Group	O
held	O
its	O
governmental	O
clients	O
accountable	O
for	O
the	O
allegation	O
of	O
human	O
rights	O
abuses	O
by	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
revelation	O
via	O
documents	O
received	O
via	O
court	O
,	O
the	O
group	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
brought	O
against	O
the	O
company	O
by	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
threatened	O
to	O
infringe	O
on	O
its	O
clients	O
 '	O
"	O
national	O
security	O
and	O
foreign	O
policy	O
concerns	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
digital	O
forensic	O
analysis	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
Amazon	O
founder	O
Jeff	O
Bezos	O
received	O
an	O
encrypted	O
message	O
on	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
from	O
the	O
official	O
account	O
of	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
's	O
Crown	O
Prince	O
Mohammed	O
bin	O
Salman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
Nations	O
 '	O
special	O
rapporteur	O
David	O
Kaye	O
and	O
Agnes	O
Callamard	O
later	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Jeff	O
Bezos	O
 '	O
phone	O
was	O
hacked	O
through	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
targets	O
of	O
Saudi	O
's	O
hit	O
list	O
of	O
individuals	O
close	O
to	O
The	O
Washington	O
Post	O
journalist	O
Jamal	O
Khashoggi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
an	O
FBI	O
document	O
obtained	O
by	O
Property	O
of	O
the	O
People	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
a	O
501(c )	O
(	O
3	O
)	O
nonprofit	O
organization	O
,	O
through	O
an	O
FOIA	O
request	O
,	O
reveals	O
,	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
iMessage	O
are	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
law-enforcement	O
real-time	B-Application
searches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
an	O
investigation	O
by	O
The	O
Wire	O
found	O
that	O
BJP	O
,	O
an	O
Indian	O
political	O
party	O
allegedly	O
used	O
an	O
app	O
called	O
Tek	O
Fog	O
which	O
was	O
capable	O
of	O
hacking	O
inactive	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
accounts	O
en	O
masse	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
mass	O
message	O
their	O
contacts	O
with	O
propaganda	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Wire	O
,	O
a	O
whistleblower	O
with	O
app	O
access	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
hack	O
a	O
test	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
account	O
controlled	O
by	O
reporters	O
"	O
within	O
minutes.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
a	O
terrorists	O
organization	O
ISIS	B-Operating_System
had	O
been	O
using	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
plot	O
the	O
November	O
2015	O
Paris	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
Independent	O
,	O
ISIS	B-Operating_System
also	O
uses	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
traffic	O
sex	O
slaves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
British	O
Home	O
Secretary	O
Amber	O
Rudd	O
said	O
encryption	O
capabilities	O
of	O
messaging	O
tools	O
like	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
are	O
unacceptable	O
,	O
as	O
news	O
reported	O
that	O
Khalid	O
Masood	O
used	O
the	O
application	O
several	O
minutes	O
before	O
perpetrating	O
the	O
2017	O
Westminster	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rudd	O
publicly	O
called	O
for	O
police	O
and	O
intelligence	O
agencies	O
to	O
be	O
given	O
access	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
other	O
encrypted	O
messaging	O
services	O
to	O
prevent	O
future	O
terror	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
perpetrator	O
of	O
the	O
Stockholm	O
truck	O
attack	O
reportedly	O
used	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
to	O
exchange	O
messages	O
with	O
an	O
ISIS	B-Operating_System
supporter	O
shortly	O
before	O
and	O
after	O
the	O
incident	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
nearly	O
300	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
groups	O
with	O
about	O
250	O
members	O
each	O
were	O
reportedly	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
mobilize	O
stone-pelters	O
in	O
Jammu	O
and	O
Kashmir	O
to	O
disrupt	O
security	O
forces	O
 '	O
operations	O
at	O
encounter	O
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
six-month	O
probe	O
which	O
involved	O
the	O
infiltration	O
of	O
79	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
groups	O
,	O
the	O
National	O
Investigation	O
Agency	O
reported	O
that	O
out	O
of	O
about	O
6386	O
members	O
and	O
admins	O
of	O
these	O
groups	O
,	O
about	O
1000	O
were	O
residents	O
of	O
Pakistan	O
and	O
gulf	O
nations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
FBI	O
stated	O
that	O
an	O
ISIS	B-Operating_System
sympathizer	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
plotting	O
to	O
assassinate	O
George	O
W	O
.	O
Bush	O
,	O
was	O
arrested	O
based	O
on	O
his	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
arrest	O
warrant	O
for	O
the	O
suspect	O
,	O
his	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
account	O
was	O
placed	O
under	O
surveillance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
numerous	O
ongoing	O
scams	O
on	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
that	O
let	O
hackers	O
spread	O
viruses	O
or	O
malware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
some	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
were	O
reported	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
tricked	O
into	O
downloading	O
a	O
third-party	O
application	O
called	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Gold	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
scam	O
that	O
infected	O
the	O
users	O
 '	O
phones	O
with	O
malware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
message	O
that	O
promises	O
to	O
allow	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
friends	O
 '	O
conversations	O
,	O
or	O
their	O
contact	O
lists	O
,	O
has	O
become	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
hit	O
against	O
anyone	O
who	O
uses	O
the	O
application	O
in	O
Brazil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
application	O
called	O
GB	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
is	O
considered	O
malicious	O
by	O
cybersecurity	O
firm	O
Symantec	O
because	O
it	O
usually	O
performs	O
some	O
unauthorized	O
operations	O
on	O
end-user	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
is	O
owned	O
by	O
Meta	O
,	O
whose	O
main	O
social	O
media	O
service	O
Facebook	B-Application
has	O
been	O
blocked	O
in	O
China	O
since	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
security	O
researchers	O
reported	O
to	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
that	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
service	O
had	O
been	O
completely	O
blocked	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
9	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
government	O
of	O
Iran	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
proposed	O
to	O
block	O
the	O
access	O
to	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
service	O
to	O
Iranian	O
residents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	O
reason	O
for	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
assumption	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
by	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
founder	O
Mark	O
Zuckerberg	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
an	O
American	O
Zionist	O
,	O
"	O
said	O
Abdolsamad	O
Khorramabadi	O
,	O
head	O
of	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
Committee	O
on	O
Internet	O
Crimes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
Iranian	O
president	O
Hassan	O
Rouhani	O
issued	O
an	O
order	O
to	O
the	O
Ministry	O
of	O
ICT	O
to	O
stop	O
filtering	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Turkey	O
temporarily	O
banned	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
in	O
2016	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
assassination	O
of	O
the	O
Russian	O
ambassador	O
to	O
Turkey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Diego	O
Dzodan	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
vice-president	O
for	O
Latin	O
America	O
was	O
arrested	O
in	O
Brazil	O
for	O
not	O
cooperating	O
with	O
an	O
investigation	O
in	O
which	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
conversations	O
were	O
requested	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
2	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
mobile	O
providers	O
in	O
Brazil	O
were	O
ordered	O
to	O
block	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
for	O
72	O
hours	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
second	O
failure	O
to	O
cooperate	O
with	O
criminal	O
court	O
orders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brazil	O
's	O
Central	O
Bank	O
issued	O
an	O
order	O
to	O
payment	O
card	O
companies	O
Visa	O
and	O
Mastercard	O
on	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
to	O
stop	O
working	O
with	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
on	O
its	O
new	O
electronic	O
payment	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
government	O
of	O
Uganda	O
banned	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
,	O
to	O
enforce	O
a	O
tax	O
on	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
social	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
Arab	O
Emirates	O
banned	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
and	O
VoIP	B-Application
call	I-Application
applications	O
in	O
as	O
early	O
as	O
2013	O
due	O
to	O
what	O
is	O
often	O
reported	O
as	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
protect	O
the	O
commercial	O
interests	O
of	O
their	O
home	O
grown	O
nationally	O
owned	O
telecom	O
providers	O
(	O
du	O
and	O
Etisalat	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
app	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
has	O
received	O
press	O
suggesting	O
it	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
spy	O
on	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Cuban	O
government	O
blocked	O
access	O
to	O
several	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
to	O
curb	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
information	O
during	O
the	O
anti-government	O
protests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Swiss	O
army	O
banned	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
several	O
other	O
non-Swiss	O
encrypted	O
messaging	O
services	O
by	O
army	O
personnel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
army	O
recommended	O
that	O
all	O
army	O
personnel	O
use	O
Threema	B-Application
instead	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
service	O
is	O
based	O
in	O
Switzerland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
digital	O
rights	O
organization	O
Access	O
Now	O
reported	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
apps	O
was	O
being	O
blocked	O
in	O
Zambia	O
for	O
the	O
duration	O
of	O
the	O
general	O
election	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-2013	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
filed	O
for	O
the	O
DMCA	O
takedown	O
of	O
the	O
discussion	O
thread	O
on	O
the	O
XDA	B-Application
Developers	I-Application
forums	O
about	O
the	O
then	O
popular	O
third-party	O
client	B-Protocol
"	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Plus	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
some	O
third-party	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
clients	O
that	O
were	O
reverse-engineering	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
received	O
a	O
cease	O
and	O
desist	O
to	O
stop	O
activities	O
that	O
were	O
violating	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
legal	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
users	O
of	O
third-party	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
clients	O
were	O
also	O
banned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
confirmed	O
rumors	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
building	O
and	O
testing	O
two	O
new	O
tools	O
for	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
pricing	O
tiers	O
for	O
services	O
offered	O
via	O
the	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Business	O
API	O
,	O
charged	O
on	O
a	O
per-message	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
handled	O
ten	O
billion	O
messages	O
per	O
day	O
in	O
August	O
2012	O
,	O
growing	O
from	O
two	O
billion	O
in	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
billion	O
the	O
previous	O
October	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
13	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
reached	O
their	O
new	O
daily	O
record	O
by	O
processing	O
27billion	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Financial	O
Times	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
"	O
has	O
done	O
to	O
SMS	B-Device
on	O
mobile	O
phones	O
what	O
Skype	B-Application
did	O
to	O
international	O
calling	O
on	O
landlines	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
22	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
over	O
500million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
700million	O
photos	O
and	O
100million	O
videos	O
were	O
being	O
shared	O
daily	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
messaging	O
system	O
was	O
handling	O
more	O
than	O
10billion	O
messages	O
each	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Koum	O
announced	O
on	O
his	O
Twitter	B-Application
account	I-Application
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
over	O
600million	O
active	O
users	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
that	O
point	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
adding	O
about	O
25million	O
new	O
users	O
every	O
month	O
,	O
or	O
833,000	O
active	O
users	O
per	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
users	O
spend	O
over	O
340million	O
minutes	O
on	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
each	O
day	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
equivalent	O
of	O
roughly	O
646	O
years	O
of	O
video	B-Application
calls	I-Application
per	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
over	O
1.2billion	O
users	O
globally	O
,	O
reaching	O
1.5billion	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
registers	O
over	O
5billion	O
installs	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Play	O
Store	O
making	O
it	O
only	O
the	O
second	O
non-Google	O
app	O
to	O
achieve	O
this	O
milestone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
had	O
over	O
2billion	O
users	O
globally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
India	O
is	O
by	O
far	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
largest	O
market	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
total	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2014	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
crossed	O
50million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
in	O
India	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
also	O
its	O
largest	O
country	O
by	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
then	O
70million	O
in	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
making	O
users	O
in	O
India	O
10%	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
total	O
user	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
reached	O
200million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
in	O
India	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Israel	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
strongest	O
markets	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
ubiquitous	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Globes	O
,	O
already	O
by	O
2013	O
the	O
application	O
was	O
installed	O
on	O
92%	O
of	O
all	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
with	O
86%	O
of	O
users	O
reporting	O
daily	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	O
group	O
chat	B-Application
feature	O
is	O
reportedly	O
used	O
by	O
many	O
Israeli	O
families	O
to	O
stay	O
in	O
contact	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
competes	O
with	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
messaging	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
include	O
services	O
like	O
iMessage	O
(	O
estimated	O
1.3billion	O
active	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
(	O
1.2billion	O
active	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
(	O
500million	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
(	O
260million	O
active	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
LINE	B-Application
(	O
217million	O
active	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Signal	B-Application
(	O
over	O
50million	O
active	O
users	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
Signal	B-Application
in	O
particular	O
were	O
reported	O
to	O
get	O
registration	O
spikes	O
during	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
outages	O
and	O
controversies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
has	O
increasingly	O
drawn	O
its	O
innovation	O
from	O
competing	O
services	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
Telegram-inspired	O
web	O
version	O
and	O
features	O
for	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
was	O
accused	O
of	O
copying	O
features	O
from	O
a	O
then-unreleased	O
version	O
of	O
iMessage	O
.	O
</s>
