The decentralized messaging service Bitchat, launched by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, has seen a surge in downloads during the protests in Madagascar. A similar increase was observed during the riots in Nepal and Indonesia in September.
Bitcoin open-source developer callebtc (X account) is involved in the development of this messaging service. He stated on Sunday, "Bitchat downloads have surged in Madagascar," and attached a screenshot of news reports related to the protests.
callebtc did not disclose specific download figures, but Google Trends data shows that in Madagascar, especially in Antananarivo, the search interest for "Bitchat" skyrocketed from 0 to 100 on Friday (over the past 90 days).
Google Trends is used to track the popularity of search terms over a specific period, with 100 indicating peak interest and 0 representing low interest or insufficient data.
Meanwhile, phrases like "Bitchat download" and "how to use Bitchat" have entered the top five related queries, with Google marking these topics as "explosive topics" and indicating a significant increase in activity.
According to Chrome statistics, Bitchat has accumulated 365,307 downloads since its launch, with over 21,000 new downloads in the past day and more than 71,000 in the past week. However, this data does not specify which regions the downloads primarily came from.
Protests erupted in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, on Thursday. Some demonstrators clashed with police, and ongoing power and water outages led to looting incidents, resulting in the dismissal of the energy minister.
Madagascar authorities have also implemented a curfew from dusk to dawn to curb further unrest. Protests continued across the country on Friday and Saturday.
In the weeks prior, Nepal experienced violent protests due to corruption, leading to a surge in Bitchat downloads. During this time, Nepal briefly banned social media, prompting protesters to seek alternative communication and coordination methods. Indonesia also saw a similar spike in downloads following corruption protests.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a total population of just under 32 million. According to global tech data platform DataReportal, by early 2025, only 6.6 million people in Madagascar are expected to have internet access.
The platform also predicts that by early 2025, the number of active mobile connections in Madagascar will exceed 18 million. Some of these connections may only support voice and SMS services and do not include internet access.
Dorsey launched the beta version of Bitchat in July. The service uses a Bluetooth mesh network to enable encrypted communication without the internet. The white paper indicates that the network is fully decentralized, requiring no central servers, accounts, email, or phone number registration, and does not rely on infrastructure.
The European Union is tightening regulations on private messaging services. Legislators are pushing for a "chat control" bill that would require services like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal to allow regulators to screen messages before encryption and sending, which would undermine encryption protections.
Currently, 15 EU member states support the proposal, but there is still a gap to reach the required 65% population threshold for passage. Germany, as a key vote, has not yet made a final decision.
Advocates in the crypto space, such as Diode CEO Hans Rempel and Brickken's Elisenda Fabrega, predict that this proposal may drive users towards Web3 decentralized platforms designed with privacy as the default.
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Original: “Bitchat Searches and Downloads Surge During Madagascar Protests”
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