Governments attempting to suppress protests through internet shutdowns are finding it increasingly challenging to curb the use of offline messaging applications. India’s recent actions concerning Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat indicate a significant shift in this ongoing struggle.
Bitchat, which debuted in 2025 under the guidance of the Twitter co-founder, enables nearby devices to communicate via Bluetooth, even when traditional mobile networks or internet access are unavailable. The app faced its most significant test last month during student protests in New Delhi, where authorities implemented an internet blackout.
As demonstrators turned to Bitchat for communication, the Indian government sought to obstruct access to the app’s source code on GitHub, a platform owned by Microsoft that facilitates code sharing and development. Historically, the Indian government has restricted apps from official app stores for various reasons; however, this marks what appears to be the first instance of an attempt to geoblock an open-source software repository.
This incident underscores a growing dilemma for governments worldwide. State-imposed internet blackouts have emerged as a primary tool to silence dissent and hinder independent journalism during political turmoil. Such measures not only stifle voices but also impede real-time documentation, allowing official misconduct to evade international scrutiny.
Applications designed to operate without internet connectivity are rendering these tactics less effective. “The decentralized architecture of the app means that there is no central server or database, and therefore there cannot be a central kill switch,” explained Namrata Maheshwari, senior policy counsel and encryption policy lead at the digital civil rights nonprofit Access Now. “Downloaded apps will continue to function as long as they are within the physical proximity required for the mesh network to operate.”
On July 26, Bitchat achieved a remarkable milestone, reaching 430,000 daily active users in India, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Notably, from July 20 to July 26, India accounted for a staggering 74% of the app’s global downloads.
Apps like Bitchat
Offline messaging applications are not a novel concept. During the 2014 protests in Hong Kong, FireChat gained traction as a means for demonstrators to communicate without relying on mobile networks. More recently, Bitchat saw a surge in downloads during protests in Myanmar, Nepal, Uganda, Madagascar, and Iran. The app also topped Apple’s App Store in Jamaica during power outages caused by a hurricane last year.
However, India’s response to Bitchat extended beyond merely targeting the app itself. On July 23, the government instructed GitHub to disable access to three Bitchat repositories in India within a mere three hours.
“The government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat.”
Jack Dorsey voiced his concerns on X, stating, “The government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat and wants it taken down,” in response to the government order.
Access Now’s Maheshwari criticized the approach, asserting that blocking an entire platform is neither necessary nor proportionate. “If the mere possibility of a technology being misused sufficed to block it entirely, we would have no email services or search engines or AI chatbots or even Microsoft Office for that matter,” she remarked. “Anonymous communication and decentralized architecture, like the one Bitchat employs, are not unlawful; they are essential for privacy and autonomy.”
She emphasized that reliable connectivity during times of unrest is crucial for individuals to communicate with family, document events, access emergency services, and avoid misinformation.
Ironically, the government’s actions may have inadvertently increased the app’s visibility. “Without that notice going to GitHub, and then eventually to Bitchat, and Jack Dorsey tweeting it out, it would have stayed within the tech policy circle,” noted Prateek Waghre, a tech policy expert based in Bengaluru. “It would not have become a larger conversation — but it did, and because of that, I think a lot of people probably downloaded it.”
At the time of publication, the repositories remained accessible in India and had been mirrored on decentralized platforms such as Radicle and GitLawb, complicating efforts for complete removal.
This clash over Bitchat occurs as India, home to the world’s second-largest internet user base, increasingly scrutinizes the design of communication platforms rather than merely the content they host. In recent months, the government has imposed restrictions on apps based on their inherent design, testing the limits of platform-wide interventions. In June, it temporarily banned the encrypted messaging app Telegram for a week, and the following month, it halted the rollout of WhatsApp’s username feature, citing concerns over impersonation and fraud.
“Just because you don’t like what the platform is doing as a function, can you use that as a reason for intervention?” Waghre questioned. “That can be taken to an absurd end. Anything that enables communication can be used by two people to communicate something that’s illegal. So where do you really draw the line on that?”
