False Alarm of WhatsApp Calls Unblocked in UAE
- On 22nd June, 2017, WhatsApp voice and video calling was enabled for a few hours before it was blocked again
- UAE residents discovered the calling feature on WhatsApp to be working by chance, as there was no official announcement
- Following the incident on 22nd June, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority issued a statement clarifying that UAE’s policy on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has not changed
- The brief activation of WhatsApp’s video and voice calls in UAE was due to a global update on the night of 21st June
- WhatsApp is one of the most popular social networking apps, available on both mobile and web, with over 1 billion users in 180 countries across the world
- The WhatsApp voice and video calling feature enables WhatsApp users having iPhones, Android phones, Windows phones or Blackberry 10 to communicate with each other for free
- Almost all encrypted calling services are blocked in the UAE, as authorities believe it is a concern for national security
- Apart from WhatsApp, calling services of social apps that are blocked in the UAE include Facebook, Viber, Snapchat, Google Voice, FaceTime and more
- UAE’s telecommunication authorities believe that if encrypted calling services are enabled in the country, that will allow terrorists and other extremists groups to communicate securely without being tracked by security agencies
