government scrutiny

Apple has removed the offline messaging application Bitchat from its India App Store following a directive from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The removal was due to the app's inclusion of content deemed illegal in India, complying with local laws and Apple's app review guidelines. The action was executed under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which permits the government to block content threatening national security or public order. The TestFlight version of Bitchat is also unavailable for testing in India. Previously, in July, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) had instructed GitHub to remove Bitchat due to concerns it could facilitate communication for anti-national elements and organized crime during government-imposed communication restrictions.