bitchat - bitchat is a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging application that operates over bluetooth mesh networks. no internet required, no servers, no phone numbers.

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neger psykolog

True & Honest Fan
kiwifarms.net
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Join #sneed to meet your fellow kiwis. For channels like Sneed it doesn't use Bluetooth connectivity but routes messages through nodes around the world and uses Tor.

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https://bitchat.free/

TLDR: a totally decentralized bluetooth-centric chat app that can operate independent of the internet or anything else.

Developed by Jack Dorsey of Xitter fame (it has no central authority so he just invented it but can't really control it whatsoever)

bitchat is a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging application that operates over bluetooth mesh networks.no internet required, no servers, no phone numbers.


traditional messaging apps depend on centralized infrastructure that can be monitored, censored, or disabled.bitchat creates ad-hoc communication networks using only the devices present in physical proximity.each device acts as both client and server, automatically discovering peers and relaying messages across multiple hops to extend the network's reach.


this approach provides censorship resistance, surveillance resistance, and infrastructure independence.the network remains functional during internet outages, natural disasters, protests, or in regions with limited connectivity.
 
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The app saw significant use by protesters in Madagascar in September 2025, with the company reporting 70 thousand downloads within the course of one week from the country, compared to around 360 thousand total worldwide downloads the company had reported by late September. Similar patterns occurred in Nepal during its protests the same month, with nearly 50,000 downloads from Nepalese users on 8 September 2025 alone.
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More widespread use of mesh nets would be cool. You do have to download it before it gets regime blocked or the internet/Internet is out.
 
Public domain as well, pretty based for a faggot like Dorsey. Wonder if this could be applied to LoRA networks as well.
 
Slav Power said:
Public domain as well, pretty based for a faggot like Dorsey. Wonder if this could be applied to LoRA networks as well.
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That's what I'm interested in. With LoRA or similar shit it's impossible to shut down.

Despite the reputation Dorsey has he does understand the Internet and has more street cred than people like Zuckerberg.

This system can be used to ad-hoc organize protests and shit just like twitter was back in the day but when the government pulls the plug on the Internet it'll still keep working.
 
neger psykolog said:
I've never heard of anything similar to this in modern times. I think there were attempts at shit like this app way back when BT first hit phones. Nothing ever survived or gained traction.
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I was thinking of Ripple (cruise connector). It was a mesh network of sorts that worked off WiFi without having to actually pay for ship WiFi. That was 10 years ago.
 
Looks like it's not just for offline use, it also has geohashes for regions listed with blocks, not exact locations. It goes via TOR from what I see on the app itself, and on the github it says it utilizes the nostr protocol (which makes sense since Jack jumped ship from bluesky to NOSTR pretty early on) with its relays.
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Say what you will about Jack, but he knows communication and with his name on this project, it could gain popularity faster than some no name dev.
 
It's a neat idea, probably has some niche use. But in a no-connectivity emergency situation, a cell phone using Bluetooth seems like the least power-efficient communication method. Regular old walkie-talkies are probably easier to keep going.
 
Leylon Sneed said:
I was thinking of Ripple (cruise connector). It was a mesh network of sorts that worked off WiFi without having to actually pay for ship WiFi. That was 10 years ago.
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Most likely anyone could connect to the wifi but not access the Internet without filling out a webpage with username and password.
So it's easy when you're connected like that - generally speaking though I believe most competent network engineers would prohibit traffic between clients to stop that kind of shit though.

Without the central, open Wi-Fi access point it's a much harder problem to solve.
 
Drama Fan said:
I heard about this and completely forgot about it. I doubt my area is dense enough for it to be useful, but I'll probably try it anyway. Thanks for the reminder!
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I tried it somewhere very remote and I can at least see there are established channels not too far from where I am.

So there is value in checking it out just to see if anyone is actually nearby.
 
WhatsApp was able to work like this at one point I think. Hong Kong protestors were using it, until the Chinese government forced WhatsApp to disable that feature in HK and the rest of China.
 
Slav Power said:
Public domain as well, pretty based for a faggot like Dorsey. Wonder if this could be applied to LoRA networks as well.
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Dorsey became much less of a faggot when he stepped out from under the Trust & Safety lawyers and their government handlers forcing him to censor his platform.
 
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