Hongkongers flock to 'off-grid' chat app FireChat amid fears of internet shutdown
A mobile messaging application that operates without internet has seen large numbers of new sign-ups from Hong Kong as demonstrators scrambled for alternative means of communication.
A mobile messaging application enabling users to communicate without internet access has seen large numbers of new sign-ups from Hong Kong as pro-democracy demonstrators in the territory scrambled for alternative means of communication amid the weekend’s protests.
Some 100,000 people have downloaded the application FireChat for smartphones over the last 24 hours in Hong Kong, according to Open Garden, the company that developed the communications tool which operates without an Internet connection or mobile phone coverage.
“We started seeing a small increase on Saturday, and then the numbers just boomed on Sunday,” said Micha A. Benoliel, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “It’s huge. We didn’t have that many users before.”
Up to 33,000 people used the application at the same time in Hong Kong, Benoliel said, referring to the 24 hours period between Sunday morning and Monday morning Hong Kong time.
While the cellular networks were not deactivated in Hong Kong on Sunday, some protesters reported bad cellphone reception.
