India has directed GitHub to disable access to the repositories of Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s decentralized Bluetooth mesh messaging application, under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and the IT Rules, 2021. According to the official notice issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), authorities argue that Bitchat’s decentralized architecture, lack of mandatory user registration, absence of centralized logging, and ability to operate without internet connectivity make lawful interception and criminal investigations significantly more difficult.

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    1 day ago

    I’ve had it for a while myself, but haven’t managed to find anyone on the Bluetooth mesh outside of DEF CON. Would be cool to see it more in the streets!

    This official response from I4C just adds to the legitimacy of Bitchat’s use as a local and decentralized chat.