What Is Bitchat? Jack Dorsey's Offline Messaging App Under Spotlight
The Indian government has ordered GitHub to remove the code for 'Bitchat,' an offline, Bluetooth-based messaging app created by Jack Dorsey. Authorities are concerned about the app's use by protesters at Jantar Mantar to communicate without internet access.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between government surveillance/control and the development of decentralized, censorship-resistant communication technologies.
Bitchat, an offline messaging application developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has come under the spotlight after the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre directed GitHub to remove the app's code repository. The move follows reports that the Bluetooth-based messaging app was used by some protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.According to a notice issued by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, GitHub has been asked to take down Bitchat. Sharing the notice on X, Dorsey said, "The Government of India does not like technologies like Bitchat and wants it taken down."the government of india does not like technologies like bitchat and wants it taken down pic.twitter.com/gjzMg1NGCi - jack (@jack) July 24, 2026What Is Bitchat?Bitchat is a decentralised peer-to-peer messaging application that allows users to exchange messages without an internet connection, mobile network, servers, phone numbers or email addresses.
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