bitchat Downloads Surge in Nepal Amid Protests
Nepal Sees Surge in bitchat Downloads Amid Social Unrest
Over 48,000 Nepalese users downloaded Block CEO Jack Dorsey’s peer-to-peer messaging app, bitchat, following a series of protests related to corruption and a brief social media blackout earlier this week. The surge mirrors a similar trend observed in Indonesia last week, also triggered by corruption-related demonstrations.
According to Bitcoin developer “callebtc,” who contributes to bitchat, the app experienced a significant uptick in downloads as protests unfolded. Callebtc noted on X that Nepal’s downloads jumped from under 3,344 last Wednesday to 48,781 by Monday, dwarfing Indonesia’s 11,324 downloads.
Social Media Ban Fuels Decentralized App Adoption
The surge in downloads coincided with a temporary government ban on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube. This ban, intended to curb the spread of anti-government content, sparked protests, some of which turned violent. Reports indicate at least 19 fatalities and hundreds of injuries during clashes with security forces.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, implicated in the corruption allegations, has since resigned.
Trend Towards "Freedom Tech"
The events in Nepal and Indonesia suggest a growing movement towards decentralized, encrypted messaging apps, sometimes referred to as "freedom tech," as citizens seek protection from government surveillance and censorship.
This trend emerges as the European Union considers its “Chat Control” law, which aims to eliminate encrypted messaging by requiring services like Telegram and WhatsApp to allow regulators access before encryption.
Decentralized Messaging Alternatives
Users are increasingly seeking alternatives to centralized communication platforms due to censorship concerns and data privacy issues. Popular centralized platforms, such as Messenger and WhatsApp operated by Meta, collect user data.
About bitchat
Launched in beta in July by Jack Dorsey, bitchat utilizes Bluetooth mesh networks for encrypted communication without internet access. The network is fully decentralized, lacking central servers, accounts, or infrastructure dependencies.
The Road Ahead
While apps like Signal, Nostr-powered Damus, Session, and Status are gaining traction, decentralized encrypted messaging still has a long way to go to compete with the user base of giants like Meta, which reported 3.48 billion daily active users across its platforms in June.