Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app, Bitchat, has been removed from Apple’s and Google’s app stores in India following a government order. The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which authorizes the government to block online content deemed unlawful.
Apple confirmed the removal of Bitchat from its Indian App Store and also blocked access to the app via its TestFlight beta-testing platform in the country. The app remains available on Apple’s App Store outside India. Google Play also no longer offers Bitchat for download in India, and the app’s website is inaccessible through multiple Indian internet service providers.
Launched in July 2023, Bitchat enables encrypted messaging between nearby devices using Bluetooth mesh networking, allowing communication without internet or cellular networks. This decentralized design makes it difficult for authorities to intercept messages or track users, which the Indian government cited as a reason for the ban.
Earlier in July 2023, Indian authorities ordered GitHub to remove repositories related to Bitchat, raising legal questions about restricting software based on its functionality. The government’s initial order referenced intermediary liability provisions of India’s IT law, while the recent app store removals rely on Section 69A.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights group based in New Delhi, criticized the ban as unconstitutional, stating that Section 69A is intended to block unlawful content, not entire apps due to their technical features. The group also noted that the government has not publicly disclosed the specific illegal content cited as justification.
The restrictions come amid ongoing youth-led protests in India over alleged manipulation of voter rolls, during which internet shutdowns were imposed in protest areas. Protesters reportedly turned to Bitchat and similar apps like Briar to communicate during these outages. Data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower showed that India accounted for approximately 85% of Bitchat’s global downloads during a surge in mid-July 2023, up from just 1% in the preceding month.
This development highlights tensions between government control over digital communications and the use of decentralized technologies that challenge traditional surveillance and censorship methods.