Indian authorities issued and rescinded takedown notices for mesh messaging apps

India's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) issued takedown notices targeting multiple Bluetooth-based mesh messaging applications that function without internet connectivity. The actions occurred during student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar last week, with directives aimed at BitChat, Briar, and Bridgefy.

Officials from I4C directed Google to remove BitChat, Briar, and Bridgefy from the Play Store, and Apple to remove BitChat and Bridgefy from the App Store. GitHub also received a notice to disable BitChat's code repository. The notices cited concerns that the apps' decentralized, peer-to-peer architecture, which bypasses internet and central servers, hinders lawful interception and identification of users, potentially enabling anonymous coordination during public disorder.

The notices, signed by I4C Director Manoj Kumar Meena, stipulated a three-hour compliance window for intermediaries. However, government officials verbally instructed technology companies and telecom operators the following day that the previous day's takedown and blocking directions did not need to be enforced. Consequently, the apps remained available on app stores, and BitChat's GitHub repository stayed online.

This is not the first instance of I4C acting against such services. In April 2023, the agency requested the blocking of 14 applications, including Briar, in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging their use by terrorists. While initially blocked, Briar later challenged the order, but its petition was dismissed by the Delhi High Court in July 2024.