As Uganda experiences a total internet blackout, the Bitchat app, created by Jack Dorsey, is seeing a surge in downloads. Already adopted in Iran and several other countries facing government censorship, Bitchat is establishing itself as a tool of resistance. But to what extent can apps like this truly protect your freedom of expression?
Bitchat: A Tool of Resistance Against Censorship by Hostile Governments
As reported by Reuters, Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat app has seen a surge in activity in Uganda in recent days.
Bitchat is a next-generation messaging app designed to connect users within close range via Bluetooth, without requiring an internet connection. To learn more about how it works, check out our article on the subject.
Since Tuesday, January 13, internet access has been completely suspended in Uganda. According to the government, this shutdown aims to prevent misinformation and incitement to violence, but it has been widely criticized by international observers, who see it as an attempt to stifle electoral transparency.
Against this backdrop, the messaging app created by Twitter’s founder has surged to the top of the download charts on the App Store and the Play Store. In Uganda, more than 28,000 downloads have been recorded this year, according to the research firm Apptopia.
This trend follows a message posted on X by Bobi Wine, a Ugandan pop star and the main opposition candidate, urging the public to download Bitchat so they can continue to communicate.
The criminal regime has announced an internet shutdown throughout Uganda, beginning at 6:00 p.m. today, ahead of Thursday’s election.
Have you downloaded Bitchat yet? If not, you have a small window to do so. Click on this link: https://t.co/Aog8gOmS2a
Also, have you uploaded… pic.twitter.com/vx9xIJA8wA
— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) January 13, 2026
In the face of massive internet blackouts imposed by Tehran to stifle popular protests, Bitchat is also seeing some success in Iran. According to Reuters, its usage has more than tripled in recent days.
Similar spikes have also been observed around the world: in Nepal in September, to circumvent a brief ban on social media during anti-corruption protests; and in Madagascar and Indonesia, for comparable reasons.
Don’t confuse usage with promise
As the Reuters article notes, these messaging services, designed to operate independently of the internet, remain less popular than WhatsApp or Apple’s iMessage. Nevertheless, by offering a resilient alternative that does not depend on a centralized infrastructure, these apps have become essential tools for protesters facing the increasing number of internet blackouts imposed by certain governments.
However, as we noted in our article introducing Bitchat, ideological promises do not replace guarantees of technical reliability.
Bridgefy, widely adopted during mass protests in Hong Kong, India, Zimbabwe, and Belarus, has drawn the attention of security experts. A study conducted by researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London reveals that its protocol has several vulnerabilities that could compromise user privacy and security.
The results of their study show that Bridgefy “allows users to be tracked, offered no guarantee of authenticity, no effective protection of privacy, and had no resilience against maliciously crafted messages.”
Thus, if protesters rely on Bridgefy, an adversary could reconstruct social graphs about them, read their messages, impersonate anyone to anyone, and bring down the entire network with a single maliciously crafted message.
This may be what Nyombi Thembo, Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), meant when he said: “We know how to make it ineffective. So don’t get carried away by Bitchat. It’s just a small thing.”
Thus, Bitchat does not adhere to the same cryptographic standards as apps like Olvid or SimpleX Chat. It is worth noting, however, that users’ needs vary depending on their circumstances, with freedom of expression remaining the only truly shared and sought-after goal.
