On Thursday, the Indian government ordered GitHub to remove the source code for Bitchat — an app backed by open-source software that facilitates encrypted and censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer messaging over Bluetooth and Nostr relays — according to The Hindu.
The Indian government gave GitHub three hours to comply, stating that its Cyber Crime Coordination Centre had identified that someone had committed an “unlawful act” with the software, according to The Kahleej Times.
Before the three-hour window was up, the codebase was shared via Radicle, a peer-to-peer, open-source code collaboration stack that has no central server and no CEO.
The code was also copied to other repositories like GitHub (e.g., Codeberg, GitLab) with haste, creating a scenario in which the source code for Bitchat proliferated, making the it practically impossible to kill.
Why is this important?
In a world in which much communication is digital, privacy and censorship-resistance is key. People should be free to say what they like without permission and without authorities eavesdropping on their conversation.
If you’re the type that’s thinking, “Well, what’s the big deal with authorities having access to all of your digital conversations? What do you have to hide?” then I’d ask you to consider questions like, “Why do you share certain information with some people in your life and not with others? and Why do have shades on your windows?”
Privacy is the right to selectively reveal parts of ourselves to others.
Because you want something you share to be private doesn’t mean that the information is bad, illegal, malicious, etc.
Most people don’t put much thought into privacy as it pertains to their internet and telecommunications usage in part because both the internet and mobile phones are still relatively new, at least compared to how long we humans have been here on planet Earth.
Bitchat’s Architecture
Freedom tech apps like Bitchat provide us with notable privacy in the digital age, and Bitchat’s architecture does so in a unique way.
Bitchat doesn’t run over servers that can be shut down. Instead, it utilizes a '“dual-transport system”. This system includes the Nostr layer when users have access to the internet and over a Bluetooth mesh layer when the internet isn’t available.
If you’d like to learn more about this, please check out my interview with Bitchat developer, Calle:
Bitchat’s unique design makes it even more resilient than Signal, which is also very cool open-source tech that facilitates private communication.
Signal runs on servers that can be shut down, and those servers are operated by a non-profit that can be pressured to stop serving users in certain jurisdictions.
And India could soon become one of those jurisdictions, as Reuters recently reported that the Indian government had issued notices to Signal and Telegram, asking them to explain why the apps provide features that enable users to post messages without using their phone number.
Bitchat Downloads on the Rise
While it’s difficult to say what will happen with Signal and Telegram, it’s clear that the Indian government’s attempt to stop Bitchat has only incentivized Indian people to use the app more.
Turns out, free speech and private comms in the digital age are important to people.
Ideally, the Indian government will reflect on just how much their efforts backfired here and governments around the world will take note, as well.
The Bitcoin Learning Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand — Part II
Just east of India, in Thailand, freedom tech continues to be adopted — with support from the government and other major institutions.
The Thai people can partially thank the team at the Bitcoin Learning Center for this.
This week, I published part II of a three-part series on the center for Fedi.
In this part, I highlighted much of what the center facilitates via its in-person events and media operations and how it’s built bridges with universities in the region.
I also provided an overview of how the co-founders of the center — Jimmy Kostro and Fai — have truly put their bitcoin where their mouth is when it comes to bringing their vision for the center to life.
Here’s a segment from the piece that speaks to this point:
…from what Kostro shared, the 40-year-old building, which was a gift to Fai and Kostro from Fai’s father, was in quite a different state when they took it over four years ago.
“It’s an old building, and when Fai’s father gave it to us, it had trees growing in it and the ceilings were only about six feet high,” explained Kostro. “It needed an overhaul.”
Kostro spent upwards of US$40,000 of proceeds from his business in the U.S. into it leading up to and within the first year of operations.
Despite the costs associated with rehabilitating and then running the facility Fai and Kostro have never charged those who frequent the center a fee to do so.
“We don’t want to have a transactional relationship with our community members,” explained Kostro. “We just want to help them learn. We don’t even charge a fee for the Bitcoin ATM we have here.”
Since opening the facility, the Human Rights Foundation has provided the center a grant to help cover a small chunk of the costs, but Fai and Kostro still cover the majority of the operating expenses and payroll, which can add up to approximately US$200,000 per year.
When I pressed Kostro on why he’d spend that much annually on the project, he replied with a simple, yet striking response: “We think that’s the best use of our bitcoin.”
Amazing, right?
Check out the full piece below:
PARTNERSHIP
Did that piece get you so pumped up that you headed over to an exchange right after reading it to purchase some bitcoin?
Very cool.
Now, be sure to take that bitcoin out of the hands of the exchange and put it into your own with a Trezor Safe 3, one of the world’s most reliable and affordable hardware wallets.
(Do it. Stop procrastinating.)
Thailand’s Best Bitcoin Educator
I also spoke with Thailand’s most long-standing Bitcoin educator this week, Piriya Sambandaraksa of Right Shift.
Piriya has been creating Bitcoin content for the Thai audience for 12 years now. He’s hands down the most well-known Bitcoin voice in Thailand, and, in our interview, he shared a number of notable insights regarding what Bitcoin adoption in Thailand looks like.
One of my main takeaways from this conversation was his response to a question I asked him: When did Bitcoin become less taboo in Thailand?
Piriya explained that it’s never been taboo and that the government has been relatively open and willing to discuss, explore, and even embrace the tech. (Kostro and Fai told me more or less the same thing. I’ll touch on this in part III of the series mentioned above.)
Quite cool to learn.
Here’s to the Thai government and it’s open-mindedness toward Bitcoin 🫡
Markets
The sideways chop continues.
Bitcoin is trading against the U.S. dollar more or less where it was last week.
These are still good levels for dollar-cost averaging IMO. (That’s not financial advice, nor is anything I share in this newsletter, so please don’t interpret it as such.)
We could surely go lower, but if you’re thinking long-term (at least 4-5 years), which I suggest you do, I don’t think you’ll regret buying at these levels.
That said, I know money is tight for many right now. So, if you’re living in the U.S. and you’re looking to stack some sats regardless of bitcoin’s price, I highly recommend using the Fold app and the Gemini credit card to do so.
You can use the Fold app to get free sats every day and to get sats back on gift card purchases. Please use my referral link to sign up.
And you can use the Gemini credit card to get up to 4% back in sats on everyday purchases. Please use my referral link to sign up.
Also, if you are buying bitcoin as these levels, please stop using Coinbase (more on why here).
Use an app like Strike instead. Here’s my referral code.
Other bitcoin-only exchanges like Fold, River, or Bitcoin Well are also good for buying bitcoin.
And thassssit.
Thank you all for reading!
If you found any of the information helpful and would like to send a little bitcoin tip, you can zap me over Lightning at frank@primal.net.
Here’s to a wonderful week ahead!
Best,
Frank
