Nepal Sees 48,000 Downloads of Jack Dorsey’s “Bitchat” During Protests and Social Media Ban

Market Context

Across multiple countries where governments impose social media restrictions or internet blackouts, users have increasingly turned to decentralized, censorship-resistant tools. Platforms like Bitchat are part of a growing “freedom tech” movement—especially in regions with rising political unrest or governance issues. In this case, the Nepal incident followed protests over corruption allegations and a temporary ban on services like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube.

Technical Details with Attribution

• Bitchat is a peer-to-peer, internet-independent messaging app launched in July. It uses Bluetooth mesh networking, with no centralized infrastructure, no accounts, phone numbers, or email required.
• Downloads in Nepal surged from fewer than ~3,344 downloads last Wednesday to 48,781 on Monday—over a 1,300% jump.
• The spike was more than four times higher than the comparable increase in Indonesia (11,324 downloads) during recent protests there.

Analyst Perspectives 

Observers highlight that while the surge demonstrates urgent demand for censorship-resistant tools, sustaining growth will require reliability, user trust, and usability. Some warn that decentralised apps often struggle with scale and feature parity compared to mainstream apps. Others caution potential regulatory pushback if governments view such tools as undermining control of digital communications.

Global Impact Note

This event reinforces a global trend: when social media access is threatened, people increasingly turn to decentralized, encrypted communication tools. Such shifts can pressure governments to reconsider bans, influence laws around censorship and surveillance, and accelerate adoption of privacy-focused tech globally. It also raises questions about how decentralized messaging tools will be regulated across different jurisdictions.