Uganda cut internet access nationwide on Tuesday at 6:00 pm local time ahead of Thursday’s presidential election, officials said, citing a need to limit online misinformation, stated. The shutdown coincided with a surge in downloads of the encrypted Bluetooth mesh messaging app Bitchat.
The measure is the third consecutive election blackout by authorities. Critics say the outage suppresses election information and could influence results.
Last week, Nyombi Thembo of the Uganda Communications Commission had said the internet would not be cut, stated, and added his team could disable Bitchat, saying “Why would you use Bitchat when there is internet, internet will be there, use internet,”.
The app now tops charts on the Apple App Store and the Google Play in Uganda. Other top downloads include Virtual Private Network apps, highlighting strong demand for information access.
Data shared by Calle on Jan. 5 showed over 400,000 Ugandan downloads, Data shared by Calle (Ed. note: this figure is likely higher now).
Bitchat has been used elsewhere during disruptions, including nearly 50,000 Nepalese users during a social media ban and Jamaican usage after Hurricane Melissa knocked out regular communications.
