CJP Protest: Government bans Bitchat app (which works without internet); find out what the risk was!
Bitchat Ban during CJP Protest: Amidst the ongoing protest by the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the Government of India has taken a new step. The government has issued a directive to remove the GitHub repository associated with the messaging app ‘Bitchat’. It recently came to light that protesters were maintaining contact via Bluetooth even after the government shut down the internet. Apps like Bitchat can be used for this purpose. Although there is no confirmation yet that the protesters were specifically using Bitchat, it is certain that the government has ordered the removal of the Bitchat-related GitHub repository. This is a messaging app associated with Jack Dorsey; Dorsey himself has shared a post regarding this matter.
Amidst the CJP protest, the government has ordered the removal of the GitHub repository linked to the messaging app Bitchat. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of the social media platform X, shared a post on his social media handle regarding the notice from the Indian government. The notice was issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The notice directs GitHub to remove three repositories associated with Bitchat, including the main project and the Android version. The government cited Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as the basis for this action.
The notice mandates the removal or blocking of access to the three repositories within three hours. This move comes amidst the ongoing CJP protests in Delhi. In view of the protests, authorities have temporarily suspended mobile internet services in parts of Central Delhi. A notice issued by the Government of India states that Bitchat is a platform capable of sending messages via a Bluetooth Mesh Network without relying on the internet, mobile networks, or a central server. However, the restrictions have sparked increased interest in decentralized communication tools that can function without internet or cellular connectivity.
