Here's an Android app that gives people in censored countries access to Twitter

In some parts of the world, Twitter is one of the only places where they can get their voices heard.

Sometimes, it's used as a political tool for citizen journalism. Other times it provides a grassroots way to coalesce people.

But those whose internet is censored by the government don't get that luxury.

For years there have been various ways for internet users in regimes like China and Iran to avoid online censorship. They include the more well known anonymizing service Tor, as well as lesser known programs to circumvent national internet censors.

But now there's a way for people in those countries to access Twitter on their mobile phone.

Called FireTweet, this service gives Android users with lacking internet access the chance to experience Twitter on their phones.

FireTweet was created by a group called Lantern, which makes a computer application giving desktop internet access to people with blocked or censored access. Behind Lantern is a man named Adam Fisk, who was one of the original lead developers of the (peer-to-peer) P2P file sharing networking LimeWire.

Like Limewire, Lantern uses a similar P2P network, which connects one user (in a censored region) with someone else (whose internet is not blocked). Lantern's entire goal is to ensure that those who want complete access get it. And, according Fisk, it works around the clock evading national online blockers.

"Our goal is just access," Fisk told Business Insider.

For the last two years Fisk and his group at Lantern have been building out their technology to make it possible for anyone to have access to the internet, no matter the regime. FireTweet is now bringing this to mobile.

According to Fisk, FireTweet was first devised at a hackathon in Spain. "It started out as an experiment," he said. He went on: "The idea is that FireTweet uses all of Lantern's existing infrastructure to get around censors."

Now the app has officially launched and Fisk and his team get to see if it really works. He told Business Insider that he hopes to see hundreds of thousands of users adopt the app. But first he needs to get the word out. This will admittedly be a difficult task.

To do that, the people at Lantern are teaming up with various media companies to let Iranian and Chinese citizens know about the program. They will also be doing other online campaigns to try and get their app more widely known.

Fisk adds that iOS will be the next frontier. How soon? According to developer, it'll likely be "later this year sometime."