Nepal witnessed a surge in downloads of Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app Bitchat as youth-led protests escalated in opposition to corruption and a sweeping social media ban.
On September 8, the app recorded 48,781 downloads in Nepal, which represents about 39% of its world adoption.
Bitchat Emerges as Censorship-Proof Device
Bitchat operates with out web infrastructure, counting on Bluetooth Low Vitality mesh networks that hyperlink units inside a 30-meter vary. Encrypted messages hop between a number of units, permitting communication to proceed throughout shutdowns.
Sponsored
Sponsored
The app additionally helps relaying pre-signed Bitcoin transactions throughout the mesh, a function reported as certainly one of its most radical improvements.
World downloads reached 125,486 by early September, with vital spikes in Indonesia and Russia throughout related unrest. Indonesia logged 12,581 downloads in August amid protests over parliamentary allowances and police violence, whereas Russia recorded 8,749. The US accounted for 8,211 downloads.
Dorsey developed Bitchat as a weekend mission geared toward catastrophe coordination and censorship resistance. Options embody random peer IDs for every session, an emergency wipe operate activated by a triple faucet, and IRC-style command interfaces for topic-based chat rooms.
The adoption highlights a rising urge for food for censorship-resistant “freedom tech” instruments.
The protests marked Nepal’s deadliest political unrest in a long time, leaving a minimum of 30 folks lifeless and forcing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.
Authorities had blocked 26 main social platforms, together with Fb and YouTube, after implementing registration necessities. The blackout ignited outrage amongst Gen Z activists who depend on digital platforms for commerce and communication.
Nepal’s political instability has deep roots. Because the monarchy was abolished in 2008, the nation has cycled by 13 governments in 17 years.
Transparency Worldwide ranked Nepal 107th in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, displaying systemic governance failures. Public frustration grew across the “Nepo Kids” phenomenon, the place elite households have been seen flaunting wealth whereas youth unemployment soared.
