Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block Inc, has introduced a new decentralized messenger called bitchat, which enables private communication even without internet access by utilizing Bluetooth mesh networks. Dorsey published a white paper for the service and announced the opening of beta access to the application.
This is reported by Business • Media
Functionality and Features of bitchat
bitchat operates through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology: each device acts as both a client and a server, forming a completely decentralized mesh network. Messages can be transmitted between devices even without direct line of sight (up to a radius of 30 meters), making the service particularly useful in emergency situations.
Key features of bitchat include:
- No centralized servers or accounts — no phone, email, or registration required.
- Guaranteed privacy — all messages are stored only on users’ devices.
- End-to-end encryption — every message is encrypted.
- Support for chat rooms — group communication using hashtag names (#roomname) and passwords.
- Message caching function (store-and-forward) for those temporarily offline.
“This provides ephemeral, encrypted communication without reliance on internet infrastructure, making bitchat resilient to outages and censorship,” the technical document states.
Application of bitchat in Modern Conditions
The messenger can be useful in various situations — during protests or rallies when the internet is blocked or unavailable, in disaster zones, at confidential meetings, and where mobile coverage is absent. bitchat organizes a network without any infrastructure, as emphasized in the white paper.
The idea of the messenger resonates with IRC chats from the late 1990s, which Dorsey himself noted in his post on platform X. Following the launch of the decentralized social network Bluesky in 2019 and his unexpected exit from its board in May 2024, Dorsey is returning to the development of digital freedom tools, presenting bitchat as an even more autonomous solution.
It is worth noting that previously Jack Dorsey expressed ideas about changing the name of the minimum unit of Bitcoin, advocating for the abandonment of the term “satoshi” and the use of only the word “Bitcoin.”