Indian Government Demands Blocking of Anonymous Messenger Bitchat

The Indian government has demanded that GitHub remove repositories related to Bitchat, a decentralized messenger created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. This decision was made against the backdrop of ongoing widespread protests in the country, as protesters are actively using this specific application to bypass internet restrictions. This was reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Jack Dorsey published a copy of the official order issued by the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs of India on his X social network page. According to the document, GitHub was required to restrict access to three repositories related to the project within three hours. Authorities state that Bitchat's architecture significantly complicates law enforcement work, specifically making message interception and user identification impossible.

How does Bitchat work and what is its uniqueness?

Bitchat is an open-source messenger introduced in the summer of 2025, which fundamentally differs from traditional WhatsApp or Telegram applications. Using this service does not require an internet connection, phone number, or email registration. Data exchange is carried out directly between smartphones using Bluetooth Mesh technology, which allows devices to form a local network with each other.

The developers position this tool as an instrument designed to maintain communication during natural disasters, communication outages, or emergencies. However, the very absence of centralized servers and the impossibility of exercising control over users became the main source of concern for the Indian government. According to the I4C statement, such technologies can be used not only for peaceful purposes but also to spread disinformation and coordinate actions that threaten state security.

Surging Popularity Amid Protests

TechCrunch, citing Sensor Tower analytical data, reported that the Bitchat app has gained unprecedented popularity in India. In mid-July, 85 percent of the app's total global downloads came from India alone. Meanwhile, just a month earlier, this figure was only 1 percent.

In just five days, the messenger was downloaded 91,000 times, and as of July 23, the number of daily active users in India exceeded 330,000, setting a new record for the service. This surge in interest coincided with protests sparked by the cancellation of medical college entrance exam results. Protesters switched to using mesh networks to stay connected even in areas where the internet was shut down.

Currently, how GitHub will comply with this demand and what the next steps of the team led by Jack Dorsey will be are in the spotlight of the tech community. This situation has once again brought the global debate between digital freedom and state control to the agenda.