{"id":19368,"date":"2026-01-07T11:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T11:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitchat-dev-mocks-ugandas-threat-to-block-jack-dorseys-mesh-app\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T11:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T11:24:20","slug":"bitchat-dev-mocks-ugandas-threat-to-block-jack-dorseys-mesh-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitchat-dev-mocks-ugandas-threat-to-block-jack-dorseys-mesh-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitchat dev mocks Uganda\u2019s threat to block Jack Dorsey\u2019s mesh app"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Uganda\u2019s regulator says it can shut down Jack Dorsey\u2019s Bitchat, but the app\u2019s decentralized Bluetooth mesh and election\u2011driven adoption make it hard to censor.<\/p>\n

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\n Summary<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
\n
    \n
  • Uganda\u2019s communications chief claims authorities have the technical capacity to disable Bitchat ahead of national elections.\u200b<\/li>\n
  • A Bitchat dev rejects the warning, stressing its Bluetooth mesh, serverless design and lack of phone numbers or accounts make it difficult to block.\u200b<\/li>\n
  • Downloads have surged in Uganda and other crisis zones as activists adopt the app to stay connected during shutdowns, protests and natural disasters.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    A developer of the decentralized messaging application Bitchat has disputed claims by Ugandan authorities that the service can be blocked, as the East African nation approaches national elections.<\/p>\n

    Uganda Communications Commission executive director Nyombi Thembo stated Monday that regulators possess the technical capability to disable Bitchat if necessary, according to reports.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe know how it can be made not to work,\u201d Thembo said, adding that the country has significant technical expertise. \u201cDon\u2019t be excited by Bitchat, it\u2019s a small thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

    A developer associated with Bitchat, identified online as Calle, rejected that assessment. Citing internal data, Calle said more than 400,000 Ugandans have downloaded the application.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou can\u2019t stop Bitchat. You can\u2019t stop us,\u201d Calle wrote on social media platform X, encouraging local developers to contribute to open-source tools. \u201cFree and open source. Unstoppable. From the people for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Interest in the application increased last week after opposition leader Bobi Wine urged supporters to install it as a contingency measure, citing previous election-related internet shutdowns, according to reports.<\/p>\n

    Uganda has restricted online access during politically sensitive periods in the past. In 2016, President Yoweri Museveni ordered a nationwide internet and social media shutdown, citing security concerns. A similar four-day blackout began on election night in 2021.<\/p>\n

    Bitchat, which entered beta testing in July, operates without traditional internet infrastructure. The application uses Bluetooth-based mesh networks to relay encrypted messages between nearby devices, allowing communication when mobile data or broadband services are unavailable, according to its technical documentation.<\/p>\n

    The system has no central servers and does not require phone numbers, email addresses or user accounts, according to the documentation.<\/p>\n

    The application\u2019s usage has extended beyond Uganda. During protests in Nepal last September, tens of thousands of users reportedly turned to Bitchat amid a temporary social media ban. Madagascar experienced a comparable increase in downloads weeks later.<\/p>\n

    In November, the application briefly became one of the most downloaded tools in Jamaica during Hurricane Melissa, when connectivity disruptions affected residents seeking alternative communication methods.<\/p>\n

    <\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Uganda\u2019s regulator says it can shut down Jack Dorsey\u2019s Bitchat, but the app\u2019s decentralized Bluetooth mesh and election\u2011driven adoption make it hard to censor. Summary Uganda\u2019s communications chief claims authorities…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19368"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19369,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19368\/revisions\/19369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}