The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, ordered GitHub to remove all Bitchat source code within a three-hour deadline. The government targeted three main repositories under the ‘permissionlesstech’ account, covering the core project, Android builds, and the release page for the messaging app built by Jack Dorsey.
The order comes amid a wave of protests involving tens of thousands of students in Delhi. Young activists calling themselves the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took to the streets in response to a national exam leak scandal. Facing pressure, Prime Minister Modi pledged fast-track courts for officials who manipulated exams. Simultaneously, the government shut down mobile internet access around the Parliament building and key protest hotspots, forcing demonstrators to turn to Bitchat.
A Design That Thwarts Interception
Bitchat operates via a Bluetooth mesh network between mobile devices without relying on an internet connection. The decentralized app requires no servers, phone numbers, or account creation. The I4C stated that this unique architecture prevents lawful interception, attribution tracking, and law enforcement investigations.
Jack Dorsey responded to India’s move by publishing a copy of the I4C notice. He replied with a brief remark: the Indian government does not like technology like Bitchat. The cybercrime agency’s maneuver drew fierce pushback from India’s Internet Freedom Foundation, which condemned the takedown order as unconstitutional and authoritarian.
In practice, India is following in the footsteps of China, which had already grown wary of Bitchat. Last April, Apple’s App Store in China removed the app following direct instructions from the government.
Mirroring as a Counter-Weapon
Targeting source code is a far more radical step than merely blocking an app on official storefronts. However, open-source code follows its own rules: it can be freely copied and mirrored across open repositories.
Just hours after the I4C notice was issued, the Bitchat repository was mirrored to GitLawb, a decentralized code collaboration platform. This push to bypass censorship aligns with maneuvers by Block - Dorsey’s company - which recently launched Buzz. The decentralized platform was specifically designed to reduce developer dependence on centralized repositories like GitHub.
Deleting the primary code repository might break current links. But for protesters on the ground, as long as copies of the app continue to spread from device to device, communication networks will stay active even if authorities shut down all cellular infrastructure in the area. Reported by Decrypt.
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