SMS Without Borders (SWoB) is a platform that enables users without access to an active internet connection to continue communicating with online services using SMS messages.
SWOB provides a proactive approach to circumventing internet shutdowns by way of using SMS messaging to communicate with online services. The platform bridges communications between online services and offline devices for users in regions prone to shutdowns, allowing for continued reporting on human rights abuses and other harms caused by repressive actors during network disruptions.
The project consists of an Android app which allows individuals to securely use SMS-capable phones to send out messages and communicate via special gateways, designed primarily for use during the event of an internet shutdown.
OTF’s most recent support will help improve online communications on the platform during shutdowns, the resilience of SMS Gateways, and platform accessibility. The project aims to introduce two-way SMS communication, device-based identification, and secure storage, as well as implement new SMS gateways in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Nigeria (which will help reduce user cost) and localization of the app.