Bitchat tops Uganda app charts amid election internet blackout
Bitchat has become Uganda’s most-downloaded application after authorities confirmed that internet access was cut and will remain unavailable during the presidential election set to begin on Thursday.
Officials said this marks the third consecutive election cycle in which access has been restricted to curb online misinformation, a move critics say limits access to election-related information. The shutdown began on Tuesday at 6:00 pm local time, according to Uganda Communications Commission executive director Nyombi Thembo, who announced the decision on X.
Bitchat, an encrypted messaging app that operates without an internet connection using Bluetooth mesh networks, currently ranks first on Uganda’s Apple App Store and Google Play charts. Virtual private network applications also feature prominently, indicating high demand for alternative communication tools ahead of the vote.
Bitchat’s ranking in the free section of the Apple App Store in Uganda. Source: Appfigures
Last week, Thembo said the government would not switch off the internet and questioned the need for Bitchat, adding that his team had the technical capability to disable the app. Data shared by Calle on Jan. 5 indicated that more than 400,000 users in Uganda had downloaded Bitchat.
Uganda’s third election-period internet shutdown
In 2016, President Yoweri Museveni ordered a nationwide block on internet and social media platforms, citing security and public safety. A similar restriction occurred in 2021, when a four-day blackout began on election night.
The app has been used in regions experiencing internet disruptions due to government actions or natural disasters. In September, nearly 50,000 users in Nepal adopted the app during a temporary social media ban amid anti-corruption protests, with a similar pattern reported in Madagascar about three weeks later.
In November, users in Jamaica turned to the app when Hurricane Melissa brought winds of up to 185 miles per hour to the Caribbean, disrupting conventional communication channels.
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