Overview
- Google Trends showed a sharp rise in Ugandan searches for “Bitchat,” with breakout queries such as “bitchat apk,” “bitchat mesh,” “what is bitchat,” and “how to use bitchat.”
- Chrome-Stats figures cited in reports indicated more than 32,000 new installations in the past week and 4,252 downloads in the past 24 hours.
- Wine urged supporters on Dec. 30 to install Bitchat to share Declaration of Results forms if connectivity is cut, referencing past pre‑election blackouts.
- Reports said Uganda’s Electoral Commission and security agencies discussed temporary shutdowns to counter misinformation and hate speech, though no new blackout was confirmed.
- Bitchat uses a Bluetooth mesh for encrypted, server‑free messaging without internet or SIM registration and has been reported in use in Nepal, Madagascar, and Indonesia during unrest.