India Orders Removal of Bitchat App Code from GitHub
India’s cybercrime agency has instructed GitHub to remove the code for Bitchat, a decentralized messaging app created by Jack Dorsey. They requested that the Microsoft-owned platform comply within a tight timeframe of three hours.
The directive was issued on Thursday by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) governed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The notice specifically targeted three repositories from the “permissionlesstech” account, including the main code for Bitchat and its Android versions. It invoked legal provisions from the Information Technology Act and emphasized the need to remove access to the code while preserving any evidence.
Bitchat allows users to send messages directly between nearby devices using Bluetooth, without relying on the internet, servers, or phone numbers. The I4C raised concerns that this design would hinder lawful investigations and potentially be misused in situations like riots or organized crime.
Protests and Unrest in India
This order comes amid growing protests led by youth against recent exam paper leaks. Thousands demonstrated in Delhi, rallying under the name Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). In response to the unrest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised fast-track courts for officials accused of cheating in exams. With mobile internet disabled near the Parliament and protest sites, many turned to Bitchat as an offline communication tool.
Dorsey, who previously led Twitter and now heads Block, reacted to the order by stating that the “government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat.” The Bitchat Community also released a message, claiming, “Governments that fear people talking without permission will always target the tools that enable such communication.” The Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the order, calling it “unconstitutional and authoritarian,” highlighting that it failed to identify any unlawful content.
Global Context of Censorship
India is not alone in taking action against Bitchat; China recently removed the app from Apple’s App Store, reflecting its ongoing crackdown on similar technologies. While removing an app from stores limits its availability, deleting the source code seeks to undermine the project entirely, though open-source code can often be replicated elsewhere.
After India’s order, Bitchat’s repositories were quickly mirrored on a decentralized platform, GitLawb. Just days earlier, Dorsey’s Block launched Buzz, another decentralized platform aimed at reducing reliance on GitHub. As of now, Microsoft has not responded regarding whether they adhered to the three-hour removal request.
