Preparing for disruption: Offline messaging apps join India’s protest toolkit

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Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST BENGALURU: As tens of thousands of young Indians protested in Delhi this week over exam paper leaks and alleged failures in the country's education system, local media reports of signal jammers and internet disruptions around the protest site prompted many to look for ways to communicate offline.Downloads of messaging apps that work without mobile networks or Wi-Fi surged in India over the past week, led by a more than eightfold jump in installs of Bitchat, reflecting how protesters in India are increasingly preparing for connectivity disruptions.Experts say such apps can provide a useful emergency backup, but caution that they are not substitutes for reliable internet access.

Nigam Mishra, a 22-year-old software entrepreneur, told CNA that he began exploring offline messaging apps after hearing protesters describe connectivity problems at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Monday (Jul 20). He said ChatGPT led him to Bitchat, which uses Bluetooth to connect nearby users without internet access. “I downloaded and tested it with a few people first,” said Mishra.

“When I felt that it works well in short distances, I shared it with other protesters.”He made an Instagram video listing useful tools protesters could carry or download, which quickly spread among those heading to the protest site and became part of an emergency “offline” toolkit. OFFLINE APPS GAIN TRACTIONBitchat, recently launched by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, recorded an over eightfold increase in downloads in India this week, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Downloads of other offline messaging apps, including Bridgefy and Briar, rose 193 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.The sharpest increase in downloads came on Jul 20, coinciding with a protest march to Parliament.Led by the youth-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, the demonstrations have become one of India's largest student-led pr