This is another example of how popular applications are independent of government. On Thursday, in the capital of Madagascar, Antananaryva, protests broke out due to constant breaks in the supply of water and electricity. An increase in the number of searches and downloads was registered in the region.
Bitchat on Protestant phones
Decentralized peer-to-peer messenger, behind which is, among others The founder of Twitter (today X) and Fan Bitcoin Jack Dorse, is a hit in Madagascar. An increase in the number of downloads of this application has been noticed. All in connection with protests – the same phenomenon happened during riots in Nepal and Indonesia that took place in September.
Open Source Bitcoin programmer with the nickname “Callebtc”, who works on this messenger, reported on Sunday:
Increase in the number of downloads Bitchat in Madagascar.
He did not reveal specific numbers, but searching for “BitChat” in Google Trends shows an increase from 0 to 100 on Friday (within 90 days) in Madagascar, especially in Antananaryva. At the same time, phrases such as “Bitchat download” and “How to use Bitchat” were among the five most popular queries.
Chrome statistics show that Bitchat has been downloaded 365 307 times from the moment of launch, of which over 21,000 over the last day and over 71,000 in the last week. However, it was not stated which regions were responsible for most of the downloads.
Protests due to power and water supply breaks
On Thursday, protests broke out in the capital of Madagascar, Antananaryva. Some demonstrators clashed with the police. Madagascar authorities introduced a curfew from dusk to dawn. On Friday and Saturday, however, more demonstrations took place throughout the country.
This took place only a few weeks after a rapid increase in the number of Bitchat in Nepal downloads, where in turn protested against corruption, which led to a short -term ban on the use of social media.
In July, Dorsey launched a beta bitchat version. The application uses Bluetooth to send encrypted communication – so it does not require internet access and is fully decentralized. Using it does not require an e-mail address or phone number.
It is possible that Bitchat will gain popularity and us, because the European Union is preparing to block the possibility of using secure messages. MEPs are trying to pass the Act on “Chat control”, which will reduce the privacy and safety of encrypted messengers, demanding from such websites as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal permission to regulators to verify messages before their encryption and sending.
