India Targets Decentralized Messaging App Bitchat Amid Censorship Concerns

India has ordered GitHub to remove Jack Dorsey's decentralized messaging app Bitchat from its platform, citing concerns that it could be used to organize unlawful gatherings and circumvent government-imposed internet shutdowns. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre issued the takedown order on July 23, giving GitHub a three-hour window to comply.

Bitchat operates as a fully decentralized peer-to-peer encrypted messenger using Bluetooth mesh networking, with no central servers or user registration required. The app's architecture is modeled on Bitcoin-inspired principles, enabling offline operation and potential offline Bitcoin payments through mesh networks.

This move follows China's April 2026 order to Apple to remove Bitchat from the China App Store due to content law violations. The removal of source code from GitHub attempts to kill the project at its root, whereas removing an app from a store limits distribution.