India blocks Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat amid regional unrest

The removal follows a series of government actions against the open-source software. Jack Dorsey shared a notice on X showing Apple received a direct order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to pull the app. While Apple confirmed the app remains available in other markets, Indian users can no longer access it through the App Store, Google Play, or its TestFlight beta-testing service.

Government scrutiny of the app intensified in July 2026, when authorities previously ordered GitHub to take down associated repositories. Officials argue that Bitchat’s architecture hinders law enforcement from intercepting communications or tracing users, particularly during government-mandated internet shutdowns. Local digital rights groups, including the Internet Freedom Foundation, have challenged the legality of the move, labeling the order unconstitutional for targeting software functionality rather than specific unlawful content.

The crackdown coincides with ongoing demonstrations in New Delhi regarding electoral roll manipulation. As police move to suppress protests, authorities have increasingly turned to internet blackouts to limit coordination. Demonstrators have relied on Bitchat to bypass these restrictions, leading to a massive spike in usage; market data from Sensor Tower indicates India accounted for 85% of global downloads during the height of July’s civil unrest.