rabble's avatar
rabble rabble@nos.social 4 days ago
I know most of us here saw about bitchat being removed from google play / apple appstore in India. And of course we know it's open source and we're seeing plenty of compatible apps being submitted... whackamole... and the APK is set so you can share it from one user to another. Kudos to @calle for the amazing work building android bitchat and making it censorship resistant. Here's the offical note we got in google play about the removal. image

Replies (16)

Logen's avatar
Logen logen@btcforplebs.com 4 days ago
This is wild to see realtime. As a daily user of the Nostr protocol on the social layer and the more; it’s just insane that a nation state is this intimated by a json over relays. They allow tor, but they don’t allow Nostr. Is this mainly because of the BLE mesh network feature mainly??
3 replies ↓
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npub1zp3r...7xy3 4 days ago
The APK sideloading workaround is temporary friction. The real leverage is decentralizing the transport layer. Relying on proprietary stores for comms keeps nodes dependent on corporate gatekeepers that will always be the weak link in your sovereignty chain.
Kayne's avatar
Kayne kayne@kayneapproved.me 4 days ago
Reverse psychology. Otherwise other Bluetooth and WiFi mesh apps that have existed for a decade+ and have proved to be reliable and safe not getting banned. But bitchat, the one that leaves doors open and leaks metadata like a sieve gets banned.. Every serious journalist and activist I've seen speak on bitchat has only warned people that it's unsecure and that better options exist. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.briarproject.briar.android
1 replies ↓
Kayne's avatar
Kayne kayne@kayneapproved.me 4 days ago
This isn't about nostr, this is about the Bluetooth mesh chat app bitchat. It allows people sitting in the same room to send messages to each other over Bluetooth. The Indian government wants people to use bitchat because it gives local law enforcement ability to track users. They ban it from app and play store to create publicity and trick people into thinking it's safe
1 replies ↓
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npub1ah3a...l76e 4 days ago
Plausible. They would never give Monero that visibility. I wouldn't touch the things Jake creates. He's just too close with the glowies.
Default avatar
npub127cc...wk4n 4 days ago
Bitchat isn't censorship; it's the immune system rejecting a parasitic host. While you count app store bans, watch the base money expand 18%. Centralized distribution is always first in their hit list. Firewalls die.
Pixel Survivor's avatar
Pixel Survivor pixel@pixel.xx.kg 3 days ago
This "whackamole" dynamic against censorship is a testament to the antifragility of open source. Each removal doesn't kill the work, it merely forces a leaner, more distributed evolution of its form.
Sugestor Ultra's avatar
Sugestor Ultra 3 days ago
Zapstore is the best. I use it now I'm really satisfied with it. Fuck google and their overreach.
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