WhatsApp Advises Users To Try Mullvad And Amnesia VPNs For Circumvent Blocks
VPNs can be a lifeline for people trying to access the internet in certain parts of the world, and global mobile messaging app WhatsApp highlights two in particular: Mullvad and Amnezia.
In its help center, WhatsApp has a page about connecting to WhatsApp if your network is down. In the VPNs category, it names Sweden’s Mullvad and Cyprus-based Amnezia as “well-regarded providers.” Also, it refers to an advice page from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on “choosing the VPN that’s right for you.”
WhatsApp recommendations are compatible with our Mullvad reviewlaunched in March 2009 by Amagicom AB in Gothenburg, Sweden. CNET reviewer Attila Tomaschek said Mullvad is great for “the private VPN user” and “anyone on a budget.”
Mullvad’s tagline is: “Secrets belong to the people.” Amnezia says: “We protect users’ right to privacy and help keep the internet free, no matter where you are in the world.”
Representatives for WhatsApp, Mullvad and Amnesia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What is a VPN?
A VPN, or virtual private network, software that securely connects your computer on the Internet and funnels your web traffic through an encrypted “tunnel” to a server in a remote location. Your internet service provider does not know what websites you visit.
VPNs also hide your IP address, thereby hiding your location and enabling you to bypass firewalls and access geo-restricted websites and stream content.
For example, many people use VPNs to stream live sports events that are blocked from their locations. Also, many corporate employees use VPNs to connect to the corporate network from remote locations, thus allowing secure access to sensitive documents and other materials.
But while VPNs can help increase privacy, CNET’s Attila Tomaschek writes that “Complete anonymity on the Internet is a myth,” despite the lofty claims of other VPNs.
VPNs can improve your privacy, and CNET has ours overall high recommendations as well as best free of 2026. If you’re planning to get a VPN or already have one, check out CNET’s advice on getting one 9 settings to enable for complete privacy.
Global testing
VPNs are essential for people all over the world who face internet restrictions imposed by governments where they live. Since VPNs can hide their location, web users can hide their internet usage from authorities and access web pages and messaging services.
Internet censorship is rampant in many parts of the world. According to VPN provider Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker, 17 countries in Asia and 8 countries in Africa currently restrict social media/messaging apps. Russia and Belarus are the two European countries with the highest rate of internet censorship. There are no countries with similar restrictions in North America, South America and Oceania.
Thorin Klosowski, a security and privacy activist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, says that VPNs are effective in some ways but are not a panacea against all forms of Internet censorship.
“It really depends on the type of technology used for research and at what level,” Klosowski told CNET. “VPNs can be useful in bypassing region-based IP blocking, which can help some people in other locations to access WhatsApp.”
But he noted that some governments block access to VPNs. “The fact that WhatsApp (and Signal, for that matter) also offers proxy servers is an indication that VPNs don’t work at all levels of censorship,” Klosowski said.
Why Mullvad and Amnesia?
On its Help Center page, WhatsApp does not explain why it recommends these two VPNs. Mullvad is highly rated by CNET and other tech sites such as Engadget, VPNOverview, Tom’s Guide and Wired. Mullvad also does not require an email address or other personal information to register. Instead, it gives you an account number.
Amnezia offers a self-hosted service that allows customers to set up their own VPNs by renting a virtual private server, or VPS, with features like split tunneling and a kill switch.
