Govt orders GitHub to block Bitchat links in India; why is Jack Dorsey's platform under scrutiny?

The Union Home Ministry has directed GitHub to remove or disable access to links related to decentralised messaging application Bitchat, citing concerns over national security and law enforcement.

GitHub has been asked to remove access to three URLs hosting the application's source code, Android version and software releases within three hours.

The ministry said the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) had identified Bitchat as a platform that enables decentralised peer-to-peer messaging over Bluetooth mesh networks.

The platform, launched by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, does not rely on mobile networks, internet connectivity or centralised servers.

The order said the application allows anonymous communication as it does not require user registration or phone number verification. It also does not maintain centralised communication logs.

This, the ministry said, makes lawful interception and criminal investigations difficult.

The order said the platform could be misused to evade lawful surveillance. It could also help users bypass restrictions imposed during riots, public disorder, terrorism, organised crime or internet shutdowns.

It said intelligence inputs suggested such platforms could be exploited to coordinate unlawful assemblies, violent protests, spread misinformation, promote radicalisation and facilitate criminal conspiracies.

The ministry said the application's design created a substantial risk of misuse by anti-national elements, terrorist organisations, organised criminal groups and cybercriminals.

The order comes as the Centre has repeatedly suspended mobile internet services around Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where protests over the NEET paper leak are continuing.

The Home Ministry has issued five such orders since July 17.

Mobile internet services have been suspended within a 1.5-km radius of Jantar Mantar.

Bitchat was launched by Dorsey as an experimental messaging platform. It works over Bluetooth mesh networks and does not require internet connectivity, servers or phone numbers.

According to the project's white paper, messages are end-to-end encrypted. They are stored only in device memory by default. The platform does not require account creation or collect persistent identifiers and metadata.