Why was Bitchat removed?
According to government sources, Bitchat can send messages by connecting many nearby devices with the help of Bluetooth. This means that even if there is no mobile network or internet, contact can be made through it. The government is worried that such a facility could be used to bypass law and order restrictions.
Jack Dorsey, while sharing a screenshot of the notice received from Apple on the social media platform X, had said that Bitchat has been removed from India’s App Store on the demand of MeitY. Apple’s notice said that the app contains content that is illegal in India and does not conform to its App Review Guidelines.
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According to the report, this demand was made under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Bitchat has also been removed from the Google Play Store.
Action was taken in July also
Earlier in July also action was taken against Bitchat. At that time, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C) had ordered GitHub to remove Bitchat after the Bluetooth-based messaging app was used during the demonstration.
I4C had then said that the app facilitates communication even during internet restrictions. According to the agency, it can be used to avoid surveillance and circumvent the imposed restrictions.
Available now in other countries
According to Apple, Bitchat will be available in the App Store in regions other than India. However, its TestFlight version will also not be available in India.
Government’s stance on minors’ social media
Government sources also clarified that at present there is no proposal to completely remove minors from social media. The government is taking advice from industry and experts on this issue and has said that better solutions should be found.