India has ordered GitHub to remove repositories for Bitchat, the Bluetooth-based messaging app created by Jack Dorsey, as protests and internet shutdowns in Delhi continue to drive interest in offline communication tools. The move comes as authorities have repeatedly restricted mobile internet services around the Jantar Mantar protest site in central Delhi.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued the takedown notice on July 23 and gave GitHub three hours to disable access to three Bitchat-related URLs, according to reports citing the document. The notice said the app’s decentralized design could make lawful interception, attribution and investigation more difficult.
Bitchat is an open-source app that relays encrypted messages over Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks and does not require an internet connection, servers or user accounts. Reports said the app had gained attention in India as protesters looked for ways to communicate during repeated connectivity disruptions in central Delhi.
The order has drawn criticism from digital rights advocates, who argue the action targets open-source code rather than specific unlawful content. The controversy also adds to a broader debate in India over the use of internet shutdowns during protests and the limits of government oversight of decentralized software.
the government of india does not like technologies like bitchat and wants it taken down pic.twitter.com/gjzMg1NGCi
— jack (@jack) July 24, 2026
Read Article: Alphabet’s AI Investment Push Leads to First Negative Free Cash Flow Since IPO
