CIOInsider India Magazine

Elon Musk's friend Jack Dorsey, who co-founded X with the Tesla CEO, has now released a chat app. What makes it unique? The internet is not required to use the app! Since its release, the Bitchat app has been the topic of the tech community. "Weekend project" is how Dorsey referred to the app. "My weekend project to learn about Bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things," the tech entrepreneur posted on the social media site X.

A Decentralized Platform - Data is Not Stored on Central Servers
Bitchat, like Jack Dorsey's Bluesky, is a decentralized platform, meaning that data is not kept on central servers. The application is believed to use peer-to-peer network technology, where each device on the network functions as a node in and of itself and that messages are sent directly between devices. Moreover, Bitchat messages are saved within the program and eventually vanish.

People are observed to frequently join and exit from what are known as ‘Bluetooth clusters’ when traveling from one location to another in the real world. The number of users connected are believed to determine the app's range as well. Meaning, the more users there are, the wider the range will be.

Also, the app only operates within a range of about 100 meters due to Bluetooth's rather low range. Reports widely claim that Bitchat can transmit messages up to 300 meters as more users join Bluetooth clusters. Dorsey revealed that he intends to include support for Wi-Fi Direct in a future release to get around Bluetooth's drawbacks of slow speed and short range.

No Internet Required
Users can exchange instant messages to one another even without the need for internet connection or network, which is almost similar to Bridgefy, the application that people use during protests, around the world. You can rely on Bitchat in places lacking internet connection or the network is inconsistent. For example, you could send messages to friends and family when seated far away inside a bus, train or an airplane. Another place where you can use the app is during traffic and slow internet locations.

Furthermore, it was observed that Bitchat’s user interface seems to be similar to The Internet Relay Chat, or IRC for short, a text-based application that made instant messaging popular in the 1990s while the internet was still in its infancy. In terms of usability, Bitchat is said to be very simple to use and only has one window. Currently, there are no options on the Android version yet, but you can check how many users are connected by tapping on the icon in the top right corner.

Bitchat text messages are also said to be sent quite fast and hardly lag or delay when communicating with the recipient. Public chats take place in the main window, where all users in the vicinity can view your messages.

There is also a private chat option that users can use to enter just by tapping on the same symbol in the top right corner. To initiate a conversation, users can then click on the person's name. Another great feature that Bitchat has is the ‘panic mode’, which is said to spontaneously erase all the messages. This is done through the Triple-tapping icon which is placed at the top of the app.

This promises the fact that only the sender and the recipient can read their messages, which, in apps like WhatsApp, only text messages that are end-to-end encrypted can currently be sent. Therefore, Bitchat does seem to function as advertised, even though it is still in its infancy.

How Much Security Does the App Promise?
BitChat is said to provide extreme simplicity: no data collecting, no phone numbers or emails, and no registration. This is an exquisitely attractive option for users who prefer privacy or who live in places with poor internet. But this does come with certain drawbacks in which user proximity and density affect how effective the app is. Messages may not be sent at all or may arrive too late to be useful if there are not enough devices in the area. In this case BitChat may not be suitable for high priority communications and unreliable in remote or sparsely inhabited locations. Additional UX issues include the lack of recovery alternatives in the event of device loss and the requirement for offline engagement or another messaging platform for identity verification. Meaning, who would you send a message to if you didn't know who they were?. These obstacles may make mass adoption difficult or slow.

Certain Aspects to be Aware of
Anyone can check Bitchat's code for flaws and other problems since it is open-source. At least one user has already pointed forward a vulnerability, which Dorsey fixed. In a July blog post, security researcher Alex Radocea brought out the problem of authentication in the app. Dorsey used the Noise Protocol Framework and replied to the post. This system offers end-to-end encrypted "secure, private, and censorship-resistant communication," as stated in the abstract of Dorsey's white paper.

But on GitHub, Dorsey shared a security alert for the application. "This software has not received external security review and may contain vulnerabilities and does not necessarily meet its stated security goals," Dorsey noted. "Do not use it for production use, and do not rely on its security whatsoever until it has been reviewed."

Overall, this messaging software could be utilized to stay in contact with people in your immediate vicinity, but be advised that a third-party evaluation is still necessary to assess its security.

Community Involvement is Supported by its Open-Source Nature
For Jack Dorsey, disruptive projects are nothing new. He has long supported decentralization and user sovereignty as the CEO of Block and former co-founder of Twitter (now X). His dedication to transferring power away from centralized platforms is evident in his work on Bluesky and support for the Nostr protocol. Even though BitChat is still in its early stages of development, community involvement is encouraged by its open-source nature and public introduction. If expert security evaluations are conducted, the app may develop quickly and have an impact on how people think about safe, infrastructure-independent communications in general.

Is BitChat Signalling a New Change in Messaging Paradigms?
The introduction of BitChat marks a change in the paradigms of messaging. It offers a convincing argument for offline, decentralized communication while contesting the dominance of centralized, cloud-dependent systems. Enforcement authorities have faced similar threats in the past, as MEF has already discussed. Among the implications are: A reminder to app developers and cell providers to prioritize privacy and offline functionality (combined with improved disclosure on the actual risks of messaging interception). a security review trigger for governments since criminals or bad actors might use these capabilities. a design cue for new services that are suited for high-surveillance settings, events, or emergencies.