Key facts
- India's cybercrime agency ordered GitHub to remove Jack Dorsey's Bitchat app repositories.
- The order cites the app's decentralized design as hindering lawful interception and investigation.
- Protesters reportedly used Bitchat during internet shutdowns in New Delhi.
- Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networks for communication without internet or servers.
- The Internet Freedom Foundation condemned the order as unconstitutional and a threat to free speech.
India's cybercrime authority has ordered GitHub to remove repositories for Bitchat, an open-source Bluetooth mesh messaging app developed by Jack Dorsey. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued the notice on July 23, 2026, invoking Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act 2000 and giving GitHub a three-hour deadline to comply. The order stems from the app's use by NEET 2026 student protesters in New Delhi to communicate during internet suspensions around protest sites. Authorities cited the app's decentralized, registration-free design, which requires no internet, mobile network, or phone numbers, as significantly impeding lawful interception, attribution, and traceability.
Jack Dorsey publicly disclosed the government's notice on July 24, 2026, stating that the app's architecture could facilitate unlawful activity and hinder lawful interception. The move follows weeks of student-led protests in New Delhi over alleged examination paper leaks, during which internet services were suspended, leading some protesters to download offline messaging apps like Bitchat and Briar.
Digital rights groups have raised concerns about the legal basis for the order. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) called the order unconstitutional, arguing it exceeds legal authority and threatens free speech. They also noted that deleting a repository does not remove the app from devices or stop its mesh functionality, but rather prevents scrutiny of the underlying code. Raman Chima of the Association for Progressive Communications stated that the action targets not just the service provider but open-source development of such products.
Namrata Maheshwari from Access Now highlighted that blocking an offline messaging platform during internet restrictions risks creating a communication blackout, violating fundamental rights. GitHub has not confirmed receiving the notice, and the repositories remained accessible from India.