Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and developer of Bitchat, shared screenshots of the govt notice. Pic/X
The Indian government has directed GitHub to remove repositories hosting Bitchat, a Bluetooth-based messaging application developed by Jack Dorsey, citing concerns over national security and public order.
Centre's move comes amid the ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in Delhi, where the Bluetooth-based messaging apps were reportedly being used by the protesters to stay connected after mobile internet services were allegedly suspended.
According to an notice shared on X by Jack Dorsey, Block chief executive and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the order was issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), GitHub was instructed to remove or disable access to three Bitchat repositories within three hours.
The repositories include the main project as well as its Android version.
The stated that the Indian government said Bitchat enables decentralised peer-to-peer communication through Bluetooth mesh networks, allowing users to exchange messages without relying on mobile networks, internet connections or central servers.
Officials argued that the application's design makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to intercept communications, identify users or investigate criminal activity.
The notice states that such technology could hinder lawful interception and attribution during investigations.
According to the notice, intelligence assessments indicate that platforms with offline messaging capabilities could be misused to coordinate unlawful assemblies, spread misinformation or facilitate criminal and anti-national activities, particularly during periods of internet restrictions.
The order says the app's ability to function without internet connectivity poses challenges for law enforcement during public-order situations.
The takedown order invokes Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The government warned that intermediaries failing to comply with lawful removal orders could lose legal protections available under Indian law and may face further action.
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and developer of Bitchat, shared screenshots of the government notice on X.
The notice states that GitHub should disable access to the specified repositories within the prescribed timeframe.
