Indian govt orders GitHub to block access of Jack Dorsey's messaging app, Bitchat amid CJP protest

India's cybercrime agency, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), has reportedly ordered GitHub to remove Jack Dorsey’s open-source messaging app, Bitchat. According to a Moneycontrol report, the government believes that Bitchat's offline, decentralised messaging technology could be misused during protests or public-order situations. 

What makes Bitchat different from apps like WhatsApp or Telegram is that it does not use the internet, mobile networks, or central servers; communication on the app happens via Bluetooth mesh networking to let nearby devices send messages.

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Why did I4C ordered to block Bitchat app?

The I4C argues that the app could potentially be used to bypass government-imposed communication restrictions and coordinate unlawful gatherings or protests. This could make it harder for law enforcement to monitor communications or identify users.

Jack Dorsey also shared the order on X, which cited Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, directing GitHub to block public access to three repositories (code repositories) related to Bitchat within three hours.

Dorsey on the post said, “The government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat and wants it taken down.”  

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The order comes amid one of the biggest protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi. During the protests, the government ordered to temporarily shut down mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi as a public order measure. 

The order said that the app “significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution, and investigation by law enforcement agencies.” It also said that such platforms “are capable of being exploited for coordinating unlawful assemblies, violent protests, dissemination of misinformation, radicalisation, criminal conspiracies, and other activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, public order.”