India’s Web Freedom Basis (IFF) has condemned a authorities order directing GitHub to take away repositories for Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app BitChat, calling the transfer unconstitutional and warning it threatens free speech and open-source software program.
The assertion got here a day after India’s cybercrime company ordered GitHub to disable entry to 3 BitChat repositories inside three hours, saying the decentralized messaging app could possibly be used to bypass web shutdowns, evade lawful surveillance and facilitate illegal actions.
In its assertion posted on X on Friday, IFF argued the order exceeded the federal government’s authorized authority as a result of it was issued beneath Part 79(3)(b) of India’s Info Expertise Act as a substitute of the nation’s formal website-blocking course of, which incorporates procedural safeguards. The group referred to as on the federal government to withdraw the discover and publish all takedown orders issued beneath the supply.
The group additionally disputed the federal government’s justification, noting the order didn’t determine any illegal content material within the repositories and as a substitute argued the app’s decentralized design, which allows communication over Bluetooth with out web entry or centralized servers, was itself grounds for elimination.
BitChat is a decentralized messaging app that routes encrypted messages between close by units over Bluetooth with out counting on web connectivity or centralized servers.
Since its launch in July 2025, the app has gained traction throughout protests, pure disasters and web shutdowns, with downloads and adoption surging during times of unrest and web outages in nations together with Madagascar, Nepal, Uganda, Jamaica and Iran.
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