FireChat, a mobile communications app, has gained popularity as a way for protesters to communicate in areas where anti-demonstration governments threaten to shut down wireless services. The app allows messages leapfrog to nearby phones, using Bluetooth technology, until it reaches the desired user. Messages can only leapfrog to other phones with the application and are limited to 230 feet. The application was originally created for use at outdoor festivals, such as Burning Man, and during emergency situations where cellular service is out.

“When your smartphone cannot connect to a cellular tower or Wi-Fi it chooses Bluetooth,” said Micha Benoliel, co-founder and chief executive of Open Garden. But since its creation in 2011, FireChat has been used by protestors to connect during demonstrations. 300,000 students in Taipei, Taiwan used FireChat during a three-week demonstration in March and April of this year. And the Iraqis are also finding uses for FireChat, where the app was downloaded over 40,000 times.

While FireChat has become the go-to form of communication for demonstrations, there is one major problem. It isn’t very secure. Once downloaded, users communicate through chat rooms, but only active participants appear in attendance. Anyone within range can connect to a chat room, and can secretly read the contents of the discussion. While reporters in Hong Kong have been able to join chat rooms, and they probably aren’t the only ones.

“[I]t is probable that police and authorities are doing the same…,” said Christophe Daligualt, chief marketing officer of Open Garden. “Don’t type anything you wouldn’t want a stranger to read, because a stranger can read it.” Connecting also be difficult. As of Monday, there were 97,000 chat rooms in Hong Kong.

There are also reports that protesters in China are being targeted by iOS malware. But even with the lack an anonymity, protestors are finding creative ways to use the app without being detected. The chat rooms can designate very specific locations, so people can find out easily what is happening at that particular spot or leave a message for someone when they arrive, making it a critical link in protest communication.