Stephen Downes

This link is to bitchat, "a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging application that operates over bluetooth mesh networks. No internet required, no servers, no phone numbers." It's relevant because in July the Indian government issued an order banning it, leading to people commenting that "decentralised open-source apps and their repositories do not have a single owner; GitHub repositories are still live as traditional takedown powers get a taste of  decentralised, open‑source software." In fact, GitHub comploed with the government order. But "the practical impact on Bitchat itself is limited. The code is forked. Mirrors exist. The protocol is documented."  This may be, but the more recent news is that bitchat "has disappeared from Apple and Google's app stores in India." App stores are not only centralized; the phone itself is a controlled platform (that's probably the major difference between phones and computers).