Potential WhatsApp interference on a few local networks

Jordan

31 December, 2020 - 4 January, 2021 (5 days)

Local Impact

OONI data collected from Jordan presents signs of potential WhatsApp interference on a few local networks between 31st December 2020 to 3rd January 2021.

Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

Data and Analysis

OONI data collected from Jordan presents signs of potential WhatsApp interference on a few local networks between 31st December 2020 to 3rd January 2021, as illustrated below.

Chart: OONI Probe testing of WhatsApp in Jordan between December 2020 to January 2021 (source: OONI MAT).

The above chart aggregates OONI measurement coverage from the testing of WhatsApp on multiple networks in Jordan between early December 2020 to early January 2021. Within this period, most OONI measurements suggest that WhatsApp was reachable from local networks. However, measurements collected from Linkdotnet (AS48832) on 31st December 2020 presented anomalies, suggesting potential WhatsApp interference. Similarly, a measurement collected on 3rd January 2021 from Jordan Data Communications (AS8376) presented an anomaly as well, as we observe that attempts to connect to WhatsApp endpoints failed.
However, the limited volume of data limits our ability to confirm WhatsApp blocking in Jordan. Moreover, we observe that WhatsApp was reachable when tested on other networks during this period. It is therefore possible that if WhatsApp was blocked, the block was short-lived and limited to only a few networks.

Conversations

https://explorer.ooni.org/measurement/20201231T100944Z_whatsapp_JO_48832_n1_pIwGrUS0eAiymq2S

Internet Shutdowns

Jordan