India fuels Bitchat's global rise despite takedown order
The internet-free messaging app Bitchat is seeing a surge in popularity in India despite a government-ordered takedown of its source code. The app, which uses Bluetooth mesh networks, has seen a significant spike in downloads, drawing criticism from civil liberty groups regarding the government's censorship.
Why it matters
The situation highlights the tension between government efforts to control digital communication and the rise of decentralized, censorship-resistant technologies.
NEW DELHI: Bitchat, the internet-free messaging app at the centre of a govt crackdown, has continued to gain traction in India despite authorities ordering GitHub to remove its source code repository and civil liberty groups challenging the move as unconstitutional.Bitchat, founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, allows users to message without any internet using Bluetooth mesh networks.New data from Appfigures shows India accounted for 53% of Bitchat's estimated over 1.2 lakh global downloads over the 30 days ending July 24. The app generated an estimated 65,462 downloads in India during the period, with virtually all of them - 65,435 installs - coming in just the final seven days, underscoring the speed of its rise.The surge gathered pace after July 20.
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