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Hong Kong protesters using Bluetooth Bridgefy app
By Jane WakefieldTechnology reporter
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have been turning to a new app to communicate - one that does not use the internet and is therefore harder for the Chinese authorities to trace.
Bridgefy is based on Bluetooth and allows protesters to communicate with each other without internet connection.
Downloads are up almost 4,000% in the past two months, according to measurement firm Apptopia.
Texts, email and messaging app WeChat are all monitored by the Chinese state.
Bridgefy uses a mesh network, which links together users' devices allowing people to chat with others even if they are in a different part of the city, by hopping on other users' phones until the message reaches the intended person.
The range from phone to phone is within 100m (330ft).
The app was designed by a start-up based in San Francisco and has previously been used in places where wi-fi or traditional networks struggle to work, such as large music or sporting events.
, co-founder Jorge Rios said of the spike in use in Hong Kong: "People are using it to organise themselves and to stay safe, without having to depend on an internet connection."
Like I said, technology will not allow the voice of the people to be suppressed.
But in the last few days I see the police becoming more violent and personal in their responses. Police has to remain lawful and professional or their relations in their society will deteriorate. At the end of work day, the policemen have to stay with these protestors.
With the locust ads in the newspapers targeting mainland Chinese, I don't see a good future for Hong Kong's integration with China.
The above article is garbage. Only the most powerful Bluetooth transmitters have a range of 100m. Most phones have a range of barely 10m.
Since Bridgefy is designed for use in crowds, it is trivially easy to defeat: just restrict the movement of those protesters.