Nepal’s Protests Ignite a Digital Revolution in Decentralized Communication

Nepali citizens have rapidly adopted Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app, bitchat, as an alternative to government-restricted social media platforms during recent nationwide protests over corruption. Over 48,781 downloads of the app were recorded in the country between last Wednesday and Monday, according to Bitcoin open-source developer “callebtc.” This marks a significant increase from the app’s prior download numbers in Nepal, which stood at fewer than 3,344 in the previous week. The surge coincided with a violent protest movement driven by young people, triggered by a temporary ban on major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

The social media blackout was imposed by the Nepali government to curb the spread of anti-government content amid widespread allegations of corruption against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. However, the move sparked unrest, culminating in the burning of parliament and the country’s supreme court. Security forces responded with live fire and tear gas, leading to at least 19 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The government compound housing Oli was also stormed, prompting the prime minister to resign.

The rise in popularity of Dorsey’s app highlights a growing global trend of users turning to encrypted, decentralized communication tools—often referred to as “freedom tech”—to bypass government surveillance and censorship. Similar patterns have emerged in Indonesia, where a recent wave of corruption-related protests also led to a spike in bitchat downloads. This trend is gaining traction as users seek alternatives to centralized platforms that may impose content moderation, privacy violations, or infrastructure-dependent communication models.

Dorsey’s bitchat, launched in July, utilizes Bluetooth mesh networks to enable encrypted, internet-free communication. According to the project’s white paper, the app operates without central servers, email addresses, phone numbers, or account-based infrastructure, offering a fully decentralized communication model. This is in contrast to centralized platforms such as Meta’s Messenger and WhatsApp, which collect and monetize user data and have the authority to censor or remove content based on internal policies.

Despite the recent surge in interest, crypto-based messaging apps still lag behind mainstream platforms in terms of user base and functionality. Messaging services like Signal, Session, and Status have attracted users looking for privacy and censorship resistance, but none have yet reached the scale of major platforms such as Meta. In June 2024, Meta reported an average of 3.48 billion daily users across its family of applications, a 6% increase from the previous year. This underscores the challenge decentralized apps face in competing with centralized services in terms of adoption and infrastructure.

The European Union’s proposed "Chat Control" law may further complicate the landscape for encrypted messaging. The legislation, supported by 15 EU member states, would require encrypted services like Telegram and Signal to allow regulators to scan messages before encryption. A final vote in Germany could determine whether the law passes, potentially reshaping global encryption standards.

The adoption of decentralized messaging is still in its early stages but is gaining traction in regions where censorship and surveillance are pressing concerns. As seen in Nepal and Indonesia, users are increasingly turning to tools like bitchat to maintain communication in the face of government-imposed digital restrictions.