After China, India takes measures against Bitchat messaging

India has ordered GitHub to remove several repositories linked to Bitchat, the decentralized messaging created by Jack Dorsey. Authorities criticize the application for making it difficult to identify and monitor users. The move places Bitcoin and censorship-resistant technologies at the center of a new conflict between public safety and digital freedom.

An application linked to Bitcoin finds itself in the Indian viewfinder

Bitchat is a peer-to-peer messaging capable of working without the Internet, without a telephone number and without a central server. Jack Dorsey presented it in 2025 as secure and decentralized messaging, adapted to network outages and crisis zones. The Indian Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre, attached to the Indian Ministry of Interior, asked GitHub to deactivate three repositories associated with the project. The notification is based on Section 79(3)(b) of the Indian Information Technology Act.

The authorities believe that the absence of registration, centralized logging and traditional identifiers complicates legal interceptions. Bitchat thus becomes difficult to monitor with the tools used for ordinary platforms. Bitchat is not a Bitcoin application in the strict sense. Its main function remains the exchange of encrypted messages between nearby phones. This remains possible thanks to low-consumption Bluetooth and a relay system between devices.

Its connection with Bitcoin comes from an additional function. The app can carry a signed BTC transaction offline and then relay it from phone to phone. As soon as a device regains a connection, the transaction can be broadcast to the Bitcoin network.

This mechanism takes up one of the principles defended by Jack Dorsey. That of allowing users to communicate and transfer value without being entirely dependent on a central infrastructure. Even if Bitchat does not rely directly on the Bitcoin blockchain for its messages, its architecture shares the same search for autonomy.

Protests Accelerate Bitchat Adoption

The Indian decision comes against a backdrop of student protests in New Delhi. Internet shutdowns were reportedly imposed around some gatherings, pushing participants to tools that worked offline. Bitchat and other Bluetooth messengers allow phones to create a small local network. Each device can transmit a message to the next. This gradually expands the communication area without going through a mobile operator.

This scenario is reminiscent of the adoption of Bitchat by protesters in Nepal and Indonesia. The more authorities cut off traditional channels, the more users seek decentralized solutions. The order sent to GitHub does not guarantee the disappearance of the software, however. The code is open source and can be copied to other platforms. At the time of the announcement, the application also remained downloadable on the main mobile stores.

The file goes beyond the case of Bitchat. It asks a simple question: can a state really block a decentralized tool when its code can be duplicated and shared freely? A deletion on GitHub can reduce the visibility of the project and slow down its development. It does not destroy copies already downloaded, nor versions hosted elsewhere. This technical limit often turns a ban into a permanent race between authorities and developers.

For governments, these apps create a real problem. They can protect citizens during an outage or crisis, but also complicate investigations into illegal activities. The difficulty lies in controlling abuse without imposing general surveillance. For several years, Jack Dorsey has been building a strategy focused on Bitcoin, decentralized payments and censorship-resistant tools. His company Block itself holds BTC and is preparing payment services linked to bitcoin, as shown by its development around Block and Bitcoin.