I'm both fascinated and perplexed too.
Any ideas/theories?
Does anyone know if you're governmentally required to install an SSL cert on your device, for example?
Also, is it even confirmed whatsapp encrypts voice calls in addition to texts?
With suspicion, I suppose message content is only a handful of plied fingernails or threats against close family away?
> regulations aimed to protect users’ personal information and block content that violated the kingdom’s laws.
Censoring content.
> Saudi Arabia began blocking them from 2013, wary that such services could be used by activists.
Blocking political dissent.
> The decision to lift the blocks could negatively impact Saudi Arabia’s three main telecoms operators - Saudi Telecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain Saudi
Protecting business revenues of traditional telecom companies.
There's been a big deal made out of the lifting of the voip ban since it's been a pain in the ass for users for years, but they specifically stated that whatsapp and Viber are excluded (though Telegram is present somehow...). CITC, our local FCC equivalent, said that the the requirements laid out in the unblocking decision are 1: having a "clear mechanism for contact and cooperation in emergencies" (I'm guessing this is partially euphemism for intercept court orders and similar as well), 2: being open to removing illegal content, 3: having a clear and robust data protection system in place for users, and 4: making it possible to call emergency numbers [1, Arabic].
Obviously a lot of these can be technically impossible like the one about being able to call emergency numbers, and for those with e2e encryption a lot of the content requirements are impossible too. But hey, baby steps I guess- the telecoms are livid about the lost revenue stream, and people no longer have to use VPNs for friggin' Facetime to work.
[1] https://sabq.org/%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AC...
this is hysterical. they actually call these apps "midnight-call apps".
Bernays would be proud.
> The decision to lift the blocks could negatively impact Saudi Arabia’s three main telecoms operators - Saudi Telecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain Saudi - which earn the bulk of their revenue from international phone calls made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom.
> Zain Saudi’s CEO, Peter Kaliaropoulos, told Reuters some lost income could be recouped through expansion of its own data services.
> “The Saudi market has a strong appetite for faster data throughput and higher data use packages,” he said in an email. “The opportunity to monetize the extra data usage will partially offset voice revenue losses”.
Utter bullshit when relying on a 3rd party.
I apologize for cursing.
