India Cracks Down: GitHub Ordered to Delete Jack Dorsey's Bitchat Amid Civil Unrest

In a high-stakes move to control digital discourse, the Indian government has ordered GitHub to take down three code repositories associated with Jack Dorsey's Bitchat. The mandate, which granted the platform a mere three-hour window for compliance, targets the messaging app's utility during government-imposed internet shutdowns and ongoing protests.

This crackdown highlights the growing conflict between state authority and decentralized communication tools. By targeting open-source repositories, Indian authorities are attempting to stifle resilient messaging protocols, setting a significant precedent for how governments might combat censorship-resistant technology during periods of social instability.

The Indian government has issued an urgent order to GitHub to remove the Bitchat messaging app's code repositories, a tool linked to Jack Dorsey, amid a wave of domestic protests. The order gave the hosting service just three hours to pull three specific repositories from its platform.

Authorities cited the app's role in facilitating communication during internet shutdowns as the primary reason for the takedown. This move underscores the intensifying battle between government control and the rise of decentralized, censorship-resistant tools designed to bypass state-mandated digital blackouts.