Apple removes Bitchat from India app store

New Delhi: Apple removed the Bitchat offline messaging app from its India App Store at the demand of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The removal was enacted under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, citing the app’s potential to facilitate illegal content and activities in India.

Bitchat, developed by Jack Dorsey, allows communication during network restrictions, raising government concerns about its misuse by anti-national elements and for evading lawful surveillance. This is not the first time Bitchat has faced government action; it was previously targeted during protests for its ability to circumvent internet shutdowns.

The government views decentralised communication platforms like Bitchat as risks for coordinating unlawful assemblies, spreading misinformation, and facilitating criminal conspiracies.

Apple has officially removed the offline messaging application, Bitchat, from its India App Store after a demand from the country’s Information Technology ministry, Jack Dorsey said in an X post.