Offline Chat Apps Help Protestors Avoid Government Surveillance
Protestors in Hong Kong are increasingly turning to the privacy of offline chat apps to reduce the risk of government surveillance… TNW reports that one of them, Bridgify, has seen 4,000% growth over the past couple of months. Both apps are short-range peer-to-peer ones, which rely on direct Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections between devices. They were originally created for use in environments where mobile data might be unavailable or prohibitively expensive — for example, planes and cruise ships — as well as at times when networks are likely to be congested, like rock concerts and festivals....