India Bans Jack Dorsey’s Off-Grid Bitchat App From GitHub
Governments love state-controlled internet, so an offline mesh messenger that operates entirely without cellular towers or central servers was bound to cause a bureaucrat panic attack in India.
The government of India officially demanded that GitHub purge the source code for Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat project, including all of its Android forks.
The open-source app allows users to send messages via Bluetooth Low Energy, creating a decentralized peer-to-peer network that skips telecom operators entirely. Because every phone acts as a relay node, the range expands automatically whenever more people gather in the same area—a nightmare scenario for authorities used to pressing the internet kill switch during local protests.
To keep surveillance agencies thoroughly annoyed, Bitchat stores all messages strictly in smartphone RAM without requiring phone numbers, user accounts, or central servers. The app locks down conversations using Curve25519 and AES-GCM encryption, while offering password-protected rooms and secret message bookmarking.
For high-risk situations, the messenger includes a dedicated Panic Mode trigger that instantly wipes all local data when the user taps the logo three times.
Trying to stop Bluetooth-based mesh networks by taking down a code repository is like trying to extinguish a fire by banning matches. When digital censorship gets this clumsy, citizens inevitably find thousands of offline mirrors before sunset.
Source: GitHub
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