Nepal witnessed a surge in downloads of Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app Bitchat as youth-led protests escalated against corruption and a sweeping social media ban.
On September 8, the app recorded 48,781 downloads in Nepal, which represents about 39% of its global adoption.
Bitchat Emerges as Censorship-Proof Tool
Bitchat operates without internet infrastructure, relying on Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks that link devices within a 30-meter range. Encrypted messages hop between multiple devices, allowing communication to continue during shutdowns.
The app also supports relaying pre-signed Bitcoin transactions across the mesh, a feature reported as one of its most radical innovations.
Global downloads reached 125,486 by early September, with significant spikes in Indonesia and Russia during similar unrest. Indonesia logged 12,581 downloads in August amid protests over parliamentary allowances and police violence, while Russia recorded 8,749. The United States accounted for 8,211 downloads.
Dorsey developed Bitchat as a weekend project aimed at disaster coordination and censorship resistance. Features include random peer IDs for each session, an emergency wipe function activated by a triple tap, and IRC-style command interfaces for topic-based chat rooms.
The adoption highlights a growing appetite for censorship-resistant “freedom tech” tools.
The protests marked Nepal’s deadliest political unrest in decades, leaving at least 30 people dead and forcing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.
Authorities had blocked 26 major social platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, after enforcing registration requirements. The blackout ignited outrage among Gen Z activists who rely on digital platforms for commerce and communication.
Nepal’s political instability has deep roots. Since the monarchy was abolished in 2008, the country has cycled through 13 governments in 17 years.
Transparency International ranked Nepal 107th in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, showing systemic governance failures. Public frustration grew around the “Nepo Kids” phenomenon, where elite families were seen flaunting wealth while youth unemployment soared.
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