India orders takedown of Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin-linked messaging app Bitchat

TechIndia orders takedown of Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin-linked messaging app BitchatThe order targets Bitchat, an offline Bluetooth mesh app built to relay encrypted messages and bitcoin transactions, as 'Cockroach Janta Party' protesters in Delhi use mesh tools to communicate through internet shutdowns.By Shaurya Malwa Jul 24, 2026, 10:10 a.m. 2 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on SummaryShowIndia’s cybercrime agency has ordered GitHub to take down repositories for Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s offline messaging app, as Delhi protesters use mesh-network tools to evade repeated internet shutdowns.Authorities say Bitchat’s decentralized, registration-free design thwarts lawful interception and investigation, even as demonstrators rely on it and similar Bluetooth mesh apps to coordinate during exam scandal protests.It was unclear whether GitHub complied within the three-hour deadline, and the app remained available on major app stores Friday, with experts noting that open-source code is often mirrored beyond a single platform.India's top cybercrime watchdog has ordered GitHub to take down Bitchat, the offline messaging app built by Block chief executive and bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey, as anti-government protesters in Delhi adopt mesh-networking tools to communicate through repeated internet shutdowns.the government of india does not like technologies like bitchat and wants it taken down pic.twitter.com/gjzMg1NGCi— jack (@jack) July 24, 2026 The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, part of the Home Ministry, issued the order late Thursday under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, naming three GitHub repositories tied to Bitchat and giving the platform three hours to disable access.The notice, reviewed by CoinDesk, says the app enables anonymous communication without registration, phone numbers or centralized logging, and that its architecture "significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution, a…

India orders takedown of Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin-linked messaging app Bitchat

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