Govt directs GitHub to remove Bitchat repositories citing security concerns

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The government has directed software development platform GitHub to remove repositories hosting Bitchat — the decentralised messaging application — citing concerns that the platform could be exploited to evade lawful surveillance and facilitate unlawful activities, developer Jack Dorsey said on Friday.

Taking to social media platform X, Dorsey shared an issued notice by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) — the cybercrime arm of the Ministry of Home Affairs — under provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

According to the notice shared by Dorsey, GitHub has been asked to disable access to the identified repositories within three hours.

The notice states that Bitchat enables decentralised peer-to-peer messaging over Bluetooth mesh networks without relying on mobile networks, internet connectivity or centralised servers, making lawful interception, attribution and investigation by law enforcement agencies significantly more difficult.

It further says intelligence inputs suggest that platforms with such architecture could be misused to coordinate unlawful assemblies, violent protests, spread misinformation, promote radicalisation and facilitate criminal conspiracies that may threaten India’s sovereignty, national security and public order.

The order invokes Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, along with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The development comes amid the ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in Delhi, during which authorities temporarily suspended mobile internet services in parts of the national capital. The restrictions reportedly increased interest in decentralised communication tools capable of functioning without internet or cellular connectivity.

Bitchat uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networking, allowing nearby smartphones to relay encrypted messages from one device to another. As more devices join the network, messages can travel longer distances by hopping across connected devices.

Unlike conventional messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, Bitchat does not require user registration or internet connectivity, making it useful during network outages but also more difficult for authorities to monitor.

According to the notice, the government has directed GitHub to remove or disable access to three repositories linked to the Bitchat project, including the primary repository and its Android version.

–IANS

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