Jack Dorsey Says Indian Govt Ordered bitchat Takedown Amid Student Protests

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has claimed that the Indian government ordered GitHub to remove multiple repositories linked to bitchat, an open-source messaging app that enables peer-to-peer communication over Bluetooth mesh networks without requiring internet access or centralised servers. 

Dorsey shared on X a notification issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which functions under the Union home ministry, dated July 23. According to the notice, GitHub was directed to remove or disable access to three URLs related to the project within three hours. 

The order covered the project’s main source code repository, its Android repository, and the Android releases page.

The development comes amid ongoing student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak. Yesterday, the home ministry temporarily suspended mobile internet services within a 1.5-km radius of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where students are protesting, citing public safety and the need to maintain public order.

Centre Cites Security, Law Enforcement Concerns

According to the notification, bitchat enables nearby devices to communicate directly using Bluetooth mesh networking, eliminating the need for telecom networks, internet connectivity or centralised infrastructure.

The I4C said the platform allows users to communicate anonymously without mandatory registration, phone number verification or centralised logging of communications, making lawful interception, attribution and investigation significantly more difficult for law enforcement agencies. 

It further said such platforms could potentially be misused to evade surveillance, bypass restrictions during internet shutdowns, and facilitate anonymous coordination during situations involving public disorder, riots, terrorism and organised crime.

The notice also claimed intelligence inputs indicate that decentralised communication platforms could be exploited for coordinating unlawful assemblies, violent protests, dissemination of misinformation, radicalisation, and criminal conspiracies.  

According to the notification, the absence of a central service provider also limits the ability of investigating agencies to obtain subscriber information, communication records or timely assistance during investigations. 

What Is bitchat?

Founded by Dorsey in 2025 as an open-source project, bitchat is designed to work without internet connectivity by relaying messages directly between nearby devices using Bluetooth mesh networking. The app does not require users to create accounts or verify phone numbers, allowing communication without a central identity system or servers.

Such applications are often promoted for use during internet outages, disaster situations, and areas with poor network coverage. However, law enforcement agencies have raised concerns that decentralised communication platforms make surveillance and criminal investigations more difficult because there is no central operator that can provide user data or communication logs.

The latest takedown request comes as the Centre continues to tighten its oversight of online platforms. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) proposed amendments to the Information Technology Rules, 2021, that would make government advisories and directions legally binding on intermediaries.

The draft rules also proposed requiring platforms to remove content that could be used to commit unlawful acts within three hours of receiving a court order or a reasoned government notice. 

Alongside this, the government has expanded its scrutiny of AI-generated content through mandatory labelling rules for synthetic media, explored giving more ministries the power to issue takedown orders, and proposed bringing a wider range of user-generated news and current affairs content under the IT Rules. 

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