- Sources: CoinDesk, The Hindu, HN 49036433
- Summary: India's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, directed GitHub to disable access to three repositories hosting Jack Dorsey's Bitchat, including the Android app and source code, within three hours of the notice. Bitchat is a decentralized peer-to-peer messenger that uses Bluetooth mesh networking instead of mobile networks, Wi-Fi, or central servers, which the government argues frustrates lawful interception during ongoing protests in New Delhi. The order cites Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the 2021 Intermediary Guidelines. It was not confirmed whether GitHub complied within the deadline, and the app remained available in major app stores.
- Why it matters: A state order for GitHub to remove source-code repositories over an app's architecture tests how a code-hosting platform responds to government takedown demands, with direct consequences for developers who rely on it for distribution.
- Follow-up: Watch for whether GitHub complied, any legal challenge, and whether mirrors or forks keep the code available.
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