Hong Kong Riots 2014: HK Protesters Use FireChat App To Communicate Amidst Government Control Of Cellular And Internet Connections

As the Chinese government threatens to cut cellular and internet connection to prevent Hong Kong riots, FireChat begins to dominate communication lines.

FireChat is a messaging app that relies on Bluetooth, instead of the internet to keep its users connected. As more users install the app and join the network, FireChat becomes more powerful. In the end of September 2014, FireChat was downloaded over 100,000 times in Hong Kong after Joshua Wong, a student activist, suggested it to protesters.

Since then, groups demanding democracy have been using the app. Wong spread his recommendations on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to ensure that people had a way to constantly communicate even if the government cut off connections.

According to Techtimes.com, network speed has significantly slowed down due to congestion as thousands of people in Hong Kong relied on cellular means and the internet to carry on their protest. Although connections are still open, Beijing, China already censored social media sites to avoid news of the Hong Kong riots from coming into mainland China. The country's number one social media network, Sina Weibo, has already been blocked. Reportedly, Instagram was also blocked.

Earlier in March 2014, Taiwan's Sunflower Movement, where students protested a trade deal with China, also resorted to FireChat to maintain communication. Even before the Hong Kong riots started using FireChat, the app was already popular in India for a different reason. Ram Shriram, a Google board member said in a report by Qz.com, "FireChat is uniquely designed to work in areas without cell reception. It is ideal for India since the last mile is frequently unreliable, so with FireChat the unconnected masses can be now connected."

Stanislav Shalunov, co-founder of Open Garden which developed FireChat, said, "People in Hong Kong who are protesting for democracy are able to use FireChat in a way that helps fight oppression against their Internet use. We can't solve their problems, but at least we can help with communication."