Downloads of Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app that can operate without internet connectivity, rose in Jamaica this week as Hurricane Melissa disrupted power and telecommunications across the island. The impact of Hurricane Melissa, described as the strongest cyclone to hit Jamaica in decades, has severely disrupted communications across the island. National connectivity has fallen to roughly 30% of normal levels, according to network [data](https://x.com/netblocks/status/1983366523030040832) tracked by NetBlocks, with widespread outages caused by heavy winds and downed power and telecom lines. At the time of writing, Bitchat ranked first in Jamaica’s social networking [category](https://apps.apple.com/jm/app/bitchat-mesh/id6748219622) for Apple users and second overall for free apps across both Apple and Android platforms, according to [data](https://appfigures.com/top-apps/ios-app-store/jamaica/iphone/top-overall) from AppFigures. Bitchat developer Calle [wrote](https://x.com/callebtc/status/1983450530660970499) on X that this was the first spike “in response to a natural disaster.” Calle, who co-developed and maintains [the app](https://github.com/permissionlesstech/bitchat) with Jack Dorsey, told *Decrypt* the spike reflects how Bitchat was designed to function when infrastructure breaks down. “During natural disasters like the recent hurricane in Jamaica, reliable communication becomes critical. Bitchat was created to help people stay connected even when traditional networks fail,” Calle said. The app uses Bluetooth mesh networking “to enable hyperlocal, offline communication,” Calle explained. Every phone running Bitchat “becomes a node that can relay messages to nearby devices,” they added. This works by making messages “automatically ‘hop’ from one phone to another, extending beyond the range of any single device.” That design "makes it possible for communities to share essential information, whether it’s warnings, safe zones, places offering help, or simply neighbors checking in on each other,” Calle said. ## Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat Surges in Nepal, Indonesia Amid Protest Crackdowns Nepal’s social media ban has turned Jack Dorsey’s new decentralized chat app into a protest tool. After authorities blocked 26 major platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram, tens of thousands of Nepalis downloaded Bitchat, a messaging app that works without internet or accounts first developed by Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter (now X). Downloads jumped from just over 3,300 last Wednesday to 48,781 by Monday, a surge of nearly 1,400% that made Nepal the a... Bitchat also has a feature called location notes, in which messages are “pinned to specific geographic points,” Calle added. These notes, Calle explained, can “mark danger zones ('avoid this area'), safe havens ('shelter available here'), or even community notes ('free water here'). Anyone nearby can see them instantly.” Last month, Bitchat saw a similar surge in downloads across [Nepal and Indonesia](https://decrypt.co/339015/jack-dorseys-bitchat-surges-in-nepal-indonesia-amid-protest-crackdowns) during periods of restricted internet access and protest-related shutdowns. Calle noted that in late September, similar spikes in Bitchat downloads were [observed](https://x.com/callebtc/status/1972409256302579866) in Madagascar as reports of protests after chronic blackouts and water cuts ensued. Earlier this month, Bitchat downloads similarly [spiked](https://x.com/callebtc/status/1979510874340573266) as civil unrest in Côte d'Ivoire unfolded. “Bitchat was designed to restore one of the most essential human freedoms: the ability to communicate without permission, infrastructure, or surveillance. Even when everything else goes offline,” Calle said. ### Recommended News - ## ArXiv Blocks AI-Generated Survey Papers After 'Flood' of Trashy Submissions ArXiv, a free repository founded at Cornell University that has become the go-to hub for thousands of scientists and technologists worldwide to publish early research papers, will no longer accept review articles or position papers in its Computer Science category unless they've already passed peer review at a journal or conference. 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