Jack Dorsey appears determined to dismantle the internet as it stands—or at least offer an alternative that operates entirely without it. His latest venture, Bitchat, represents a fascinating departure from conventional messaging platforms, leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy mesh technology to create peer-to-peer communication networks that function independently of servers, internet infrastructure, or the benevolent oversight of tech giants.
The technical architecture borders on ingenious simplicity. Messages hop across devices within a 30-meter range, extending coverage up to 300 meters through multiple relay points—essentially transforming every smartphone into a node in a self-organizing communication grid. This approach eliminates the traditional chokepoints that make conventional platforms vulnerable to censorship, surveillance, or simple infrastructure failures.
Dorsey’s timing proves characteristically prescient. While most tech leaders chase artificial intelligence and metaverse fantasies, he’s addressing fundamental vulnerabilities in our hyper-connected world. The app’s “store and forward” mechanism guarantees message delivery even when recipients remain offline, while end-to-end encryption and ephemeral storage minimize data accumulation risks that plague centralized platforms. This blockchain technology approach mirrors innovations enabling peer-to-peer exchanges without traditional institutional intermediaries.
The use cases read like a cypherpunk manifesto: disaster zones where cellular towers fail, protest environments where governments throttle internet access, conferences requiring secure communication channels, and rural areas where connectivity remains spotty. Bitchat’s fragmentation protocol—breaking messages into 500-byte encrypted chunks—demonstrates thoughtful engineering for bandwidth-constrained environments.
This project continues Dorsey’s broader campaign against centralized control, following his involvement with decentralized social media platforms like Bluesky and Nostr. His departure from Twitter’s board and subsequent advocacy for peer-to-peer systems suggests a philosophical commitment that transcends mere business strategy. The platform’s July 7, 2025 launch date positions it squarely within the growing movement toward decentralized communication solutions.
Currently available in beta through Apple TestFlight, Bitchat’s open-source nature invites community scrutiny and development—a stark contrast to the proprietary algorithms governing mainstream platforms.
Whether this offline-first approach gains meaningful adoption remains uncertain, but Dorsey’s track record suggests dismissing such experiments carries considerable risk. The question isn’t whether traditional internet infrastructure will face challenges, but whether alternatives like Bitchat will prove sufficiently robust when those challenges inevitably arrive.
