Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has proposed a "useful" tool to tackle the internet shutdown in Iran. The proposed solution is a decentralized messaging app that can function without an internet connection.
Iran's Internet Shutdown
Since the end of 2025, multiple cities in Iran have been experiencing significant demonstrations against the deepening economic crisis in the country, which has been impacted by sanctions. On Jan. 8, 2026, the Iranian government implemented a near-total internet shutdown, leaving millions of people within the country without network connectivity.
Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, reportedly told a cabinet meeting that he "recommended to the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council that internet restrictions be lifted as soon as possible." Some users have reported regaining access to WhatsApp, and outgoing international call and text messaging services have also been restored, according to AFP.
Bill Ackman Proposes Jack Dorsey's Bitchat
Ackman, a vocal supporter of Israel, posted on X on Jan. 17, suggesting that "Bitchat may be useful in Iran." Bitchat, launched last year, is a peer-to-peer encrypted and decentralized messaging application developed by Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter (now X), and Block (NYSE: XYZ).
Three years after co-founding Twitter in 2006, Dorsey co-founded a financial services and technology company named Square in 2009. In 2021, Square underwent a rebranding to Block. Block offers a suite of products that incorporate Bitcoin and decentralized technologies, including:
- •Cash App, a wallet that facilitates Bitcoin investing.
- •Bitkey, a self-custody Bitcoin hardware wallet.
- •Proto, a Bitcoin mining system.
- •Square, a point-of-sale system with integrated Bitcoin capabilities.
Bitchat enables users to send encrypted messages securely without relying on the internet or a central server. Instead, it establishes mesh networks utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) between nearby devices. A recent Reuters report indicates that Bitchat's usage has already seen a more than threefold increase in Iran amidst the ongoing internet shutdowns in the country.
Challenges and Considerations for Bitchat
A user pointed out that downloading the application requires internet access initially. Another user noted that since Bitchat is a Bluetooth-based application, its effective range is quite limited.
One user questioned Ackman about the potential usefulness of the service in Gaza. A crypto user responded to Ackman's post with the sentiment, "Decentralization wins again."