Jamaicans have rushed to download Jack Dorsey’s decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app, Bitchat, as the fatal Hurricane Melissa continues to rip through the Caribbean. Bitchat, which uses Bluetooth mesh networks for internet-free, encrypted communication, is now the second-most downloaded app on the Apple App Store and Google Play in Jamaica. The app offers a vital lifeline for 2.8 million people as internet coverage continues to falter in the region.
Bitchat only trails the weather forecast platform Zoom Earth, indicating that two of Jamaica’s most basic needs right now are to know the weather and to communicate with one another.
CNN reported on Wednesday that Hurricane Melissa has killed over 30 people in the Caribbean, including at least 23 in Haiti, while countless homes and businesses have been destroyed.
Until recently, adoption of decentralized, encrypted messaging apps had been driven mainly by users leaving centralized communication platforms that may censor content or impose other restrictions. However, Bitchat has since become a critical solution for people in countries where internet access has been disrupted—whether due to government interference or natural disasters.
In September, Bitchat downloads surged in Nepal amid government corruption and a social media ban that blocked Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube, triggering widespread protests. Downloads also rose in Indonesia a week earlier amid protests. A similar increase occurred in Madagascar later that month amid demonstrations over ongoing water and power cuts.
Meanwhile, the European Union has been mulling the controversial “Chat Control” law, which would eliminate encrypted messaging. This law would force apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal to allow regulators to screen messages before they are encrypted and sent.
The proposal, aimed at spotting child abuse material, was moving closer to passing in October before Germany expressed opposition, arguing that scanning private messages is unconstitutional. The vote has now been postponed, with another vote scheduled for early December.
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