GitHub removes BitChat repositories following Indian Home Ministry order

GitHub has removed repositories associated with the BitChat application following a takedown order from India's Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), part of the Home Ministry, issued the directive on July 23, which GitHub has now complied with.

The government requested the app's removal after students at the Jantar Mantar protest site began using such applications for communication, following a two-day internet shutdown in the area and parts of central Delhi. BitChat is a decentralized, peer-to-peer messaging application that operates over Bluetooth mesh networks, independent of mobile networks, internet connectivity, or centralized servers.

The takedown order was issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021. These provisions offer safe harbor to intermediaries from liability, provided they comply with government directives. GitHub was instructed to remove or disable access to the specified URLs within three hours of receiving the notice.

According to the order, BitChat allows anonymous communication without mandatory user registration or phone number verification, and its architecture impedes lawful interception and investigation by law enforcement. Concerns were raised that the platform could be misused to evade surveillance, coordinate unlawful assemblies, and spread misinformation.