Bitchat Developer Rejects Uganda’s Claim It Can Block the Decentralized Messaging App
A developer behind the decentralized messaging app Bitchat has pushed again towards claims by Ugandan authorities that the service might be shut down, as the nation strikes nearer to nationwide elections and officers warn of potential disruptions.
Key Takeaways:
- Ugandan authorities say they’ll block Bitchat, whereas the app’s builders argue its decentralized design makes shutdowns troublesome.
- Downloads surged amid fears of one other election-related web shutdown.
- Bitchat’s decentralized design makes it helpful throughout connectivity blackouts.
On Monday, Uganda Communications Commission government director Nyombi Thembo mentioned regulators have the technical functionality to disable Bitchat if needed.
His feedback got here amid rising use of the app by Ugandans making ready for the risk of one other web blackout.
Bitchat Gains Users After Opposition Warns of Possible Internet Shutdown
Interest in the app surged final week after opposition leader Bobi Wine urged supporters to put in it as a contingency plan, citing previous election-related web shutdowns.
Ugandan authorities have beforehand restricted on-line entry throughout politically delicate durations.
“We know the way it may be made to not work,” Thembo mentioned, including that the nation has important technical experience. “Don’t be excited by Bitchat, it’s a small factor.”
One of Bitchat’s builders, identified on-line as Calle, rejected that evaluation. Citing inner knowledge, Calle mentioned greater than 400,000 Ugandans have already downloaded the app.
“You can’t cease Bitchat. You can’t cease us,” Calle wrote on X, encouraging native builders to contribute to open-source instruments. “Free and open supply. Unstoppable. From the folks for the folks.”
Uganda has a observe document of limiting connectivity throughout elections. In 2016, President Yoweri Museveni ordered a nationwide web and social media shutdown, citing safety considerations.
An analogous four-day blackout started on election night time in 2021.
Because Bitchat requires no accounts, cellphone numbers, or central infrastructure, supporters see it as a workaround if entry to the wider web is reduce once more.
Bitchat Uses Bluetooth Mesh to Enable Internet-Free Encrypted Messaging
Bitchat, which entered beta testing in July, operates with out conventional web infrastructure.
The app makes use of Bluetooth-based mesh networks to relay encrypted messages between nearby devices, permitting communication even when cell knowledge or broadband companies are unavailable.
According to its technical documentation, the system has no central servers and doesn’t require cellphone numbers, electronic mail addresses or person accounts.
The app’s enchantment just isn’t restricted to Uganda. During protests in Nepal final September, tens of 1000’s of customers reportedly turned to Bitchat amid a short lived social media ban. Madagascar noticed a comparable spike weeks later.
In November, the app briefly turned considered one of the most downloaded instruments in Jamaica throughout Hurricane Melissa, when connectivity disruptions left many residents looking for alternative routes to speak.
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