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WhatsApp is an American internationally available freeware, cross-platform centralized instant messaging and voice-over-IP service that was released in January 2009. WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms and is the most used messaging application in the world with over two billion active users worldwide.
WhatsApp started as WhatsApp Inc. and was founded by former Yahoo! employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum. In 2014 it was purchased by Facebook Inc. (now Meta Platforms). WhatsApp is focused on encryption and cross-platformization. In the 2020s WhatsApp has also implemented crypto and web3 into their services.
WhatsApp is the most used social networking application in the Indian subcontinent, South America, North Africa, and Western Europe. Multiple sources list it as the most used social media application in the world, however it is still debatable if Facebook and YouTube overtake WhatsApp.
