The government has directed GitHub to remove three Bitchat repositories, citing concerns over bypassing internet shutdowns and evading lawful interception.
The order comes amid Delhi's CJP protests, where mobile internet suspensions pushed users toward Bluetooth-based messaging apps.
I4C invoked the IT Act and Intermediary Guidelines Rules, warning that such decentralised platforms could be exploited to coordinate unlawful assemblies.
Govt Orders Takedown Of Jack Dorsey's Bitchat App Amid CJP Protests
The notice characterises the app as a tool that enables peer to peer messaging over Bluetooth mesh networks, functioning independently of mobile networks, internet access or centralised servers. It states that this design "significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution, and investigation by law enforcement agencies"
Jack Dorsey
Summary
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Authorities have directed GitHub to take down repositories linked to Bitchat, the Bluetooth messaging application built by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. The order surfaced at a time when the Cockroach Janata Party-led student protests are going on in Delhi, where demonstrators have reportedly turned to Bluetooth-based apps to stay in touch after mobile internet services were suspended in parts of the city.
Dorsey posted screenshots on X showing a takedown notice from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The notice instructs GitHub to pull down three repositories tied to Bitchat, citing concerns that the app allows users to get around internet shutdowns and makes it harder for law enforcement to track communication during unrest.
Legal Basis for the Order
The I4C invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, together with Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, giving GitHub a three hour window to act. The repositories named include Bitchat's core codebase and its Android build.
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The notice characterises the app as a tool that enables peer to peer messaging over Bluetooth mesh networks, functioning independently of mobile networks, internet access or centralised servers. It states that this design "significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution, and investigation by law enforcement agencies."
I4C also flagged broader risks, noting that decentralised messaging tools of this kind "are capable of being exploited for coordinating unlawful assemblies, violent protests, dissemination of misinformation, radicalization, criminal conspiracies, and other activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, public order, and for facilitating the commission of cognizable offences."
The takedown order follows temporary mobile internet suspensions imposed by authorities in parts of central Delhi during the CJP protests. Those restrictions appear to have pushed more users toward offline communication tools that do not depend on telecom networks, according to multiple media reports.
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Bitchat is an open source app that Dorsey introduced to let nearby devices exchange messages over Bluetooth mesh networks, without needing an internet connection, phone number or central server to route communication.
Dorsey has separately been an advocate for decentralised platforms through Bluesky, a social media network he co-founded and stepped away from the board of last year.