As tensions between protesters and police increase in Hong Kong, more people have begun turning to FireChat as a communications tool. Open Garden’s messaging app has been downloaded 200,000 times and has played host to 2 million chat sessions in Hong Kong in just two days — and those are just the sessions Open Garden knows about.

The beauty of FireChat is that it works off the internet grid. Nearby phones connect directly using their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, linking together to create an ad hoc communications network with no internet connection acting as an intermediary (and therefore no connection back to Open Garden’s servers). With cellular networks congested in protest zones and the looming possibility of Chinese authorities blocking specific apps or internet access, FireChat is acting as a kind of safety valve ensuring protestors can communicate.

But much to Open Garden’s chagrin, its network is also…