WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion active users. However, not every country allows its citizens to use WhatsApp freely. A number of countries have banned WhatsApp temporarily or permanently for various reasons over the years.
Countries that have banned WhatsApp
Here are some of the countries that have banned WhatsApp usage in the past or present:
- China – WhatsApp has been blocked in China since 2017. China has a strict internet censorship policy and blocks many foreign apps and websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
- Iran – Iran blocked WhatsApp and other popular apps like Instagram and Telegram during anti-government protests in 2009 and 2018. The ban still continues intermittently during politically sensitive times.
- Syria – WhatsApp was banned in Syria between 2011-2013 during the early stages of the civil war. The Syrian government lifted the ban later, only to impose periodic blackouts during times of conflict.
- United Arab Emirates – Although WhatsApp worked in UAE for years, it was blocked for around a week in 2017 for unknown reasons. Voice calls on WhatsApp are still blocked in UAE.
- Turkey – Turkey banned WhatsApp temporarily in 2016, following a series of terrorist attacks. The government wanted to prevent the spread of extremist content through social apps.
- Brazil – In December 2015, a Brazilian court ordered temporary blockage of WhatsApp across the entire country for 48 hours. The reason was WhatsApp’s refusal to share user data in a criminal investigation.
Why do countries block WhatsApp?
There are a few key reasons why some authoritarian governments resort to blocking WhatsApp and other chat apps:
- To restrict freedom of speech and flow of information
- To curb anti-government organization and protests
- To limit extremist propaganda and misinformation
- To gain access to private user data for surveillance
- As retaliation against encryption and lack of cooperation from app companies
In democratic countries, apps may face temporary blocks by court order for reasons like inability to share data related to criminal investigations. But the bans are usually short-lived.
Countries where WhatsApp worked without any bans
Here are some of the major countries where WhatsApp is freely available and has never been banned nationally so far:
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Australia
- Japan
- South Korea
- South Africa
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Saudi Arabia
- Argentina
- Mexico
Even in these countries, WhatsApp may face temporary outages or blocks by some internet service providers due to technical issues or court orders in exception circumstances.
WhatsApp’s growth despite bans
| Year | WhatsApp Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 300 million |
| 2016 | 1 billion |
| 2018 | 1.5 billion |
| 2020 | 2 billion |
Despite being blocked in some major markets like China and Iran, WhatsApp has shown phenomenal growth in its active user base over the past decade. This shows that temporary country-wide bans have not materially affected WhatsApp’s adoption across the world.
Reasons for WhatsApp’s popularity
Here are some key reasons why WhatsApp is the top messaging app in most countries:
- Easy to use interface
- End-to-end encryption for privacy
- Group chat feature
- Media sharing capability
- Free messaging without SMS charges
- Cross-platform availability
- Owned by Facebook
Will more countries ban WhatsApp in the future?
It is unlikely that many democratic countries will outright ban WhatsApp and other popular chat apps for prolonged periods. However, some authoritarian regimes may continue with periodic or localized blocks when faced with internal turmoil or security threats. Messaging apps may also face temporary blocks during criminal investigations for non-compliance. But such instances are likely to be rare.
In the long run, governments worldwide are more likely to introduce laws mandating backdoors for legal intercepts rather than impose blanket bans on apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc. The apps may also be required to moderate content more proactively and share critical user data with authorities on demand.
WhatsApp’s potential strategies
To avoid future blocks, WhatsApp may need to adopt strategies like:
- Providing a lawful intercept solution for governments
- Moderating content more strictly by detecting illegal usage
- Collaborating with local telecom companies and regulators
- Informing users in case of government-ordered bans
Conclusion
In summary, WhatsApp has faced complete bans in the past in countries like China, Iran, Brazil and Turkey. Partial bans also occurred in UAE, Syria and other nations from time to time. However, the app continues its rapid growth globally and remains the top messaging platform in most countries. As WhatsApp gets bigger, outright national bans may become rare. But some governments are likely to continue exercising control through partial blocks, internet shutdowns and legal intercept demands.