In the time of crisis, when the government takes the major step to censor the internet, how do you communicate? Well, the answer to this question is by using a peer-to-peer mesh broadcasting network that works without the internet.
This is the solution that the people of Hong Kong have come up with after the government decided to monitor and censor the internet services. With the help of San Fransisco based startup- Bridgefy’s Bluetooth-based messaging app.
The Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors are using this way of communication to reach out to each other and the public. This has led to swift growth in the number of downloads of Bridgefy. The number has reached over 4000% in the past 60 days.
The app connects people with the help of the standard Bluetooth across the city using a mesh network system. This means that people within the region of 100 meters can have the best experience while chatting. People who are farther away can also have conversations, but the delivery rate is a little slow. The message “hops” from one Bridgefy user’s phone to the another, and then it finally reaches the target user.
The app offers the facility of private chats as well as broadcasting a message to anyone within the range. This is the ideal scenario for protestors who wish to reach out to more people but cannot use the traditional ways like SMS texting or email or WeChat.
