Apple removes offline messaging application Bitchat from India App Store
Apple has removed the messaging app Bitchat from its India App Store following a directive from the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The government cited the app's inclusion of illegal content as the reason for the takedown under the IT Act.
Why it matters
This reflects the increasing regulatory pressure on tech platforms in India and the government's active role in content moderation.
Apple on Saturday removed the offline messaging application Bitchat from its India App Store following a demand from the country's IT ministry.The app's developer and Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, attached Apple’s notice to his post on X."Government of India officially removes Bitchat from the App Store," wrote Dorsey. His post included a screenshot of what appeared to be a notice from Apple's app review team.In the latest notice, which Dorsey tagged in his post, Apple said the app would be removed "per demand from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY)" and because "it includes content that is illegal in India"."We are writing to notify you that your application, per demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), will be removed from the India App Store because it includes content that is illegal in India, which is not in compliance with the app review guidelines," the attached…
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