CJP Protests: Network of Resistance

IT WAS NOT uncommon to see several protesters at Jantar Mantar—particularly the leaders of the recent campaign de­manding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan—hunched over their smartphones, their eyes fixed, most likely, on encrypted messaging apps and of­fline communication tools. Even as the government repeatedly imposed internet shutdowns or disrupted connectivity around the protest site, the students found inventive ways to stay connected. Drawing on the expertise of technologists sympathetic to their cause and lessons from protest movements elsewhere in the world, they experimented with alternative communication systems that could function without conventional mobile networks. Their phones became instruments for organising, helping them coordi­nate movements, relay updates, mobilise supporters, and outma­noeuvre attempts to isolate the protest through digital blackouts.

While protesters during the Arab Spring protests of early 2010 used dial-up connections to access the internet and fell back on Speak2Tweet, created by Google and Twitter, to air voice messag­es over Twitter in a bid to sidestep the communication blackout, protests since Hong Kong in 2019 have become more technology-oriented, much to the anguish of the authorities.

For instance, Bridgefy is one app that gained popularity dur­ing the Hong Kong protests, allowing communication through Bluetooth or WiFi networks. The BBC reported about the scene in Hong Kong: “The BBC understands that protesters are turning to Bridgefy in case the internet is cut off, or the so-called Great Firewall of China, which censors some parts of the web on the mainland, is instigated in Hong Kong. A similar app, FireChat, has already been used in previous protests in Hong Kong and also in Taiwan, Iran and Iraq.” FireChat has since been discontinued.

This time round, in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar , it was largely BitChat, developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, which the protesters used to stay in touch with each other. In fact, Apar Gupta, lawyer and founder-director of the India Freedom Foundation, had recom­mended the use of BitChat when mobile networks are disrupted.

But soon, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which falls under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, ordered Microsoft subsidiary GitHub, a code-hosting platform that develop­ers also distribute ready-to-install apps, to remove BitChat. Dorsey posted on X the next day that the Indian government does not like technologies such as BitChat and wants them taken down.

The likes of BitChat, Bridgefy, Vojer, Briar (now in maintenance mode), Beacon, Meshtastic, and various other apps help users com­municate with each other through Bluetooth instead of relying on cell towers or internet routers. This is called offline mesh mes­saging and these apps are called Blue­tooth mesh messaging apps. Such apps came into prominence not only in Hong Kong but also in Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Malaysia, and various other countries. Even when all communication networks are absent, these apps can still be used. They can be used in natural disas­ters too, in areas where communication infrastructure is badly damaged.

A brief survey of advisories sent out on social media, especially Instagram, to stu­dent protesters here in India and in Nepal reveals that the protesters used apps such as Organic Maps, Life360 and others that either offer route guidance or GPS track­ing to know where friends and family are. Meshtastic, in fact, connects people using radio technology, specifi­cally utilising LoRa (Long Range) wireless radio packets, enabling users to send long-distance messages.

Protesters that Open spoke to remained tight-lipped. One of them said, “It is better for us not to volunteer too much informa­tion about such technologies for communication in the eventuality of a massive internet shutdown because the government is going to keep a tab on them.” The same person, however, added, “It is not easy for any government to take down open-source and decentral­ised architecture.” For instance, though I4C had issued a notic::e to GitHub to disable access to three BitChat repositories within three hours, they are still available for use. A repository is essentially a project folder that stores everything needed for a software project.

Other apps are also currently available. Vojer is a relatively new offline communication app used for sending messages to nearby users without mobile data. Bridgefy helps users chat with people within Bluetooth range (typically 100-300 metres, depending on devices). Many such apps, including BitChat, consume very little battery power. According to experts, Briar used to be the best choice for encryption.

One of the protesters, an avid trekker, says, “I have used these sorts of apps whenever I have been to interior locations and for trek­king, because there is no other way to be in touch with your team. These apps have improved over time, with new ones offer­ing better features.” He concedes that “no offline mesh app can completely replace conventional messaging services,” and adds, “Their effectiveness depends mostly on users being physically close enough for Bluetooth to work, but they are a blessing in remote areas and at protest sites.”

Protesters are resourceful. They have often used VPNs and proxy servers to collect and share information. They also rely on physical communication. That was what they did when app-based food deliveries became increasingly difficult due to the internet shutdown in central Delhi during the protests. Volunteers formed informal supply chains, collecting meals outside police barricades and carrying them into the protest site.

But then, the tech-savviness of protesters was only one reason for the success of the recent protest which, they say, saw the Insta­gram generation trump the WhatsApp generation. Political sci­entist Sumantra Bose elaborated in an interview with Open: “The government failed to anticipate the almost visceral response the Jantar Mantar protest would generate across the country, and just how effectively the protest organisers would invoke and weap­onise the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s cockroach slur.” He added, “I think this protest had the advantage of being both limited and focused—limited to the exam-paper leak scandal and focused on the education minister’s resignation.”