The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre has instructed GitHub to remove three repositories linked to Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat messaging app, giving the platform just three hours to comply. The order targets Bitchat’s open-source code, Android app, and release files hosted on Microsoft-owned GitHub.
The directive, dated July 23, cited surveillance concerns stemming from Bitchat’s decentralized Bluetooth mesh network that allows anonymous messaging without mobile internet or centralized servers. According to the notice, Bitchat’s design hampers lawful interception and criminal investigations, as it requires no user accounts or phone numbers.
The government fears that technologies like Bitchat could facilitate unlawful gatherings, violent protests, misinformation, and even aid criminals or terrorists to communicate during network shutdowns. These concerns have surfaced amid ongoing student protests in New Delhi, where mobile internet has been restricted and mobile jammers activated in protest zones.
Jack Dorsey shared the notice publicly on X, remarking that “the Government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat and wants it taken down.” The protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, criticize alleged irregularities in India’s NEET examination system. Some demonstrators reportedly turned to Bluetooth-based messaging apps like Bitchat after internet restrictions took effect.
