{"id":49623,"date":"2025-09-29T12:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T05:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbbgroup.net\/bitchat-searches-downloads-spike-in-madagascar-amid-protests\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T12:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T05:23:13","slug":"bitchat-searches-downloads-spike-in-madagascar-amid-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbbgroup.net\/zh\/bitchat-searches-downloads-spike-in-madagascar-amid-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitchat searches, downloads spike in Madagascar amid protests"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Block CEO Jack Dorsey\u2019s decentralized peer-to-peer messaging service Bitchat has seen a spike in downloads from the African island nation of Madagascar amid protests, following a similar uptick during unrest in Nepal and Indonesia earlier in September.<\/p>\n

A Bitcoin open-source developer<\/a> under the X handle callebtc, who is working on the messaging service, said<\/a> on Sunday, \u201cBitchat downloads spiking in Madagascar,\u201d along with screenshots of the protest\u2019s news coverage.<\/p>\n

\u201cBitchat\u201d trending in Google searches<\/h2>\n

Callebtc Bitcoin didn\u2019t share specific download numbers, but Google Trends search for \u201cBitchat\u201d shows<\/a> a spike from 0 to 100 on Friday (over 90 days) in Madagascar, especially Antananarivo.<\/p>\n

Google Trends tracks<\/a> how popular a search term is over a specific period of time, with 100 being the highest, and showing \u201cpeak popularity,\u201d and 0 showing low interest, or \u201cnot enough data.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, phrases as \u201cBitchat download\u201d\u00a0 and \u201chow to use Bitchat\u201d were among the top five related queries, and tagged as \u201cbreakout topics,\u201d which means they had a \u201ctremendous increase\u201d in activity, according to Google.<\/p>\n

\"Messaging
Searches related to Bitchat have spiked since protests began in Madagascar. Source: <\/em>Google\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chrome-Stats show<\/a> Bitchat has been downloaded 365,307 times since its launch, with over 21,000 coming in the last day and more than 71,000 in the last week. However, it doesn\u2019t specify which regions were responsible for the bulk of downloads.<\/p>\n

Protests over power and water cuts<\/h2>\n

Protests erupted<\/a> in Madagascar\u2019s capital, Antananarivo, on Thursday, with some demonstrators clashing with police and reports of looting over ongoing water and power cuts, resulting in the energy minister being sacked.<\/p>\n

Authorities in Madagascar also imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew to stifle further unrest. More demonstrations were held on Friday and Saturday across the country.<\/p>\n

It comes only weeks after a spike in Bitchat downloads in Nepal<\/a> amid a series of violent protests over corruption, which resulted in a short-lived social media ban and protestors forced to search for other ways to communicate and coordinate. Indonesia also had a similar uptick in downloads after corruption-related protests erupted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: <\/em>calle<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of Madagascar\u2019s population doesn\u2019t have access to the internet<\/h2>\n

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Out of a population of just under 32 million, the global technology data platform DataReportal estimates<\/a> that there were only 6.6 million people in Madagascar who had access to the internet at the start of 2025.<\/p>\n

The platform also estimates there were over 18 million mobile connections active in the country in early 2025 and noted that \u201csome of these connections may only include services such as voice and SMS, and some may not include access to the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong><\/em>Decentralized social media app to challenge Big Tech\u2019s \u2018walled gardens\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Dorsey launched a beta<\/a> for Bitchat in July. It uses Bluetooth mesh networks<\/a> for internet-free, encrypted communication, and according<\/a> to the white paper, the network is fully decentralized with no central servers, accounts, email addresses, phone numbers to register, or infrastructure dependencies.<\/p>\n

Encrypted messaging services face Chat Control law in EU<\/h2>\n

The European Union is in the process of cracking down on private messaging services. Lawmakers are trying to pass a \u201cChat Control\u201d law, which would undermine encrypted messaging,<\/a> requiring services such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal to allow regulators to screen messages before they are encrypted and sent.<\/p>\n