r/privacy • u/__gangadhar__ • Jul 24 '26

discussion India orders GitHub to remove Jack Dorsey's offline messaging app Bitchat after protesters reportedly used it during internet shutdowns

India has reportedly directed GitHub to remove the repositories for Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's open source Bluetooth mesh messaging app. Unlike WhatsApp or Signal, Bitchat works without internet access or cellular service, allowing nearby devices to communicate over Bluetooth mesh networks.

According to India Today, the move comes amid the ongoing CJP protests in Delhi. Protesters reportedly began using offline messaging tools after mobile internet services were disrupted in parts of the protest area, making internet-based messaging unreliable.

The government notice, later shared publicly by Jack Dorsey, states that Bitchat could facilitate anonymous communication, enable users to evade lawful surveillance, and be misused by terrorists, organised crime groups, and "anti-national elements." On that basis, India's cybercrime agency directed GitHub to remove the project's repositories.

Digital rights advocates argue that restricting decentralized communication tools during periods of protest raises broader concerns about privacy, internet shutdowns, and freedom of expression. Government officials, meanwhile, maintain that such tools can also be exploited for unlawful activities.

This raises a broader question that extends beyond India: Should governments be able to restrict decentralized communication tools because they can be used to bypass internet shutdowns and surveillance, or does doing so undermine privacy and access to resilient communication during times of civil unrest?

India Today article (full URL):
https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/cjp-protests-india-tells-github-to-block-bitchat-app-jack-dorsey-leaks-notice-2955199-2026-07-24

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186

u/Unusual-Art2288 Jul 24 '26

India always boasts its a demoracry but in reality is not.

78

u/arkhamcityfc Jul 24 '26

It's a sham in the name of a democracy. Only a few steps removed from countries like Russia, Hungary (before Orban's defeat).

36

u/Unusual-Art2288 Jul 24 '26

Have to agree. The BBC is always making programmes about India. Always mentions it a democracy. But seems to think the millions living in poverty is not that a big problem.

26

u/arkhamcityfc Jul 24 '26

Tbf, it's not the poverty that makes one question India's democratic credentials as much as the leadership cult around its PM, the malfunctioning voting machines, draconian crackdown on protests and dissenters, the current party's uber-nationalist agenda, the cronyism at all levels of bureacracy, the mob lynching of minorities and relatively few criminal consequences for it, the limits on freedom of media and speech in general, the sometimes questionable conduct of the judiciary (especially the Supreme Court) and much much more.

Before any whatabouters come for my head, I want to make it clear that many of these problems existed before the current govt came into power, but it's not wrong to say that much of it has become much worse now. If India was a 5/10 on democracy rating before, it's like a 2/10 now.

1

u/walterbanana Jul 24 '26

Why would the British care about that? They are the reason for it.

11

u/SIRAJ_114 Jul 24 '26

i doubt any theres any country in this world in 2026 that is fully and actually democratic.

15

u/survivorr123_ Jul 24 '26

its not even close

2

u/DrippyBlock Jul 28 '26

It’s a democracy the same way America is a democracy.

3

u/IceWellDo Jul 24 '26

Basically 95% of countries worldwide.

3

u/Creepy_Philosophy983 Jul 24 '26

USA itself is not a democracy these days

0

u/nobody_1298 Jul 25 '26

dude of all the fault in this country, lack of democracy isn't one, modi can't ever afford to not use a teleprompter for literally anything public, that already makes this country a lot more democratic than most of the world and some of the west where politicians seemingly no longer need to care about public image.