Bitchat developer ignores Uganda's threat to block the app: "Good luck!"

A developer of Bitchat, a decentralized messaging app backed by Jack Dorsey, expressed skepticism about Uganda’s announcement of potentially blocking the app ahead of the presidential election. Uganda Communications Commission Director Nyombi Thembo believes the government has the technical capability to disable Bitchat, but the developer strongly refutes this.

Bitchat operates on a Bluetooth mesh network, allowing encrypted communication without internet access. The app saw a surge in downloads after opposition leader Bobi Wine urged people to install it to prevent the government from cutting off the network — a scenario that occurred during the 2016 and 2021 elections.

According to the latest data, over 400,000 Ugandans have downloaded Bitchat. Developer Calle asserts that the app is open-source, decentralized, and “cannot be blocked,” and calls on the local developer community to participate in developing the open-source code.