Last week, in the midst of the student protests in Delhi, the government ordered GitHub to take down three pages hosting the source code of messaging app Bitchat. Banasree Purkayastha looks at why the internet-free app is at the centre of a government crackdown
What is the govt order on Bitchat?
On july 23, close to midnight, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the ministry of home affairs had asked the cloud-based web platform GitHub to remove three pages hosting the source code of Bitchat, a Bluetooth mesh messaging app. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey who had created the offline, decentralised app, posted photographs of the takedown order on X and wrote, “The government of India is making demands for this tech to be shut down.”
The order listed three URLs: the Bitchat repository, the Bitchat Android repository, and the releases page of the Android repository to be taken down.
The order came days after allegations that mobile internet services had been disabled around protest sites in the Capital, and demonstrators had shifted to offline Bluetooth mesh messaging apps which could help them communicate in the absence of internet signals. The notice came as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) intensified its protests in Delhi, seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in medical entrance examinations. Pradhan later resigned on Saturday.
What is Bitchat, and how does it work?
Bitchat is a peer-to-peer messaging app that enables encrypted communication between nearby devices over Bluetooth mesh networks. No internet or server or phone number is required for mesh chats which hop from one device to another via automatic peer discovery as Bluetooth is switched on in a device.
Every mobile device becomes a relay station allowing communication without mobile data, Wi-Fi or cellular signals. Messages exist only in the device and there’s built-in Tor network integration for enhanced privacy when internet connectivity becomes available.
Microsoft-owned GitHub is a code hosting service used by developers to collaborate on software. Open-source projects such as Bitchat keep their source files there, and users can download the finished app from the releases page. Bitchat is available on Android mobiles as well as iPhones.
Why the govt wants it to be taken down?
The I4C order, as put up on X by Dorsey, said Bitchat “significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution, and investigation by law enforcement agencies”, and the platform “can be misused to evade lawful surveillance, facilitate anonymous coordination, and circumvent lawful restrictions imposed by competent authorities during situations involving public disorder, riots, terrorism, organised crime, or internet shutdowns”.
It said the absence of a central service provider in Bitchat limits the ability of law enforcement agencies to obtain subscriber information or communication records. It pointed out that the app’s design creates a substantial risk of misuse by anti-national elements, terrorist organizations, organised criminal groups seeking to evade lawful detection and continue communication despite legally imposed restrictions.
What laws were allegedly being violated by the app?
The order was issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021. The provisions listed as violated are Sections 43, 84B and 84C of the IT Act, 2000, and Section 61 read with Sections 196 and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The signatory is described as a nodal officer designated to notify intermediaries.
Other similar messaging apps
Brigar and Bridgefy are two other such apps used where mobile networks are disrupted. During protests where local authorities may shut down the internet or install jammers to stop mobile signals, these platforms allow people to exchange messages without relying on internet access or telecom services. Hong Kong protestors in 2019 used Bridgefy to bypass internet bans while protestors in Uganda, Iran and Nepal have increasingly used Bitchat to rally around supporters.
What the order says about state surveillance
While BITCHAT is still available on Google Play perhaps because the protests were called off two days after the order the government notice does raise concerns over the government’s approach to digital connectivity during periods of public unrest.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) criticised the order saying it was unconstitutional and authoritarian. “It is striking that the order does not identify a single unlawful message. It objects to what BitChat is,” it said, alleging that the government finds the app dangerous because citizens can speak to one another when it has switched the internet off.
It also pointed out that deleting a repository does not delete the application from any phone that carries it, and the mesh keeps functioning without servers. “What the takedown actually prevents is scrutiny of the underlying code,” it posted on X.