India Pulls Dorsey's Bitchat From App Stores Under Section 69A

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered Apple to remove Jack Dorsey's decentralized messaging app Bitchat from its App Store in the country, according to a notice Dorsey posted on X on Saturday.

Dorsey wrote that the Indian government had directed Apple to take down Bitchat. The directive cites Section 69A of India's Information Technology Act, the country's primary legal provision for government-ordered online blocking.

Apple's notice says Bitchat remains available outside India, but access through the TestFlight beta-testing service is blocked locally as well. Bitchat also disappeared from Google Play in India when TechCrunch checked Saturday, and users could not reach the app's website across multiple internet service providers. Apple, Google, and India's IT ministry declined to comment.

What is Bitchat and how does it work?

Launched in July, Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to exchange encrypted messages between nearby devices without cellular networks, internet connectivity, or centralized servers.

Its mesh architecture lets it keep running during internet shutdowns. Indian authorities flagged that capability in a separate July order that pushed GitHub to remove Bitchat's open-source repositories.

That earlier action relied on a different IT-law provision dealing with intermediary liability. The government told GitHub that Bitchat's design made it hard for law enforcement to intercept communications or trace users.

What triggered the latest restrictions?

The Section 69A order landed during a fresh wave of youth-led protests across India over changes to the country's voter rolls.

Police detained multiple demonstrators in New Delhi on Saturday. Protesters demanded the resignation of India's chief election commissioner over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. Authorities suspended internet services around New Delhi's Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on Friday.

During July's protests, demonstrators reportedly turned to Bitchat and rival app Briar after authorities cut internet access. That shift elevated both apps from niche tools to protest infrastructure.

How large is Bitchat's India audience?

India accounted for roughly 85% of Bitchat's global downloads between July 17 and July 23, according to Sensor Tower data. That share jumped from about 1% in the preceding 30 days.

The spike reflects adoption during the protest-related shutdowns. Sensor Tower's numbers also show how quickly regional political events can reshape the geographic distribution of a decentralized app's user base.

What are the legal objections?

The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights group, called the Section 69A order unconstitutional. The organization argues the provision permits blocking unlawful information, not a messaging app based on its ability to function during internet shutdowns.

The foundation also noted that neither the blocking order nor the alleged illegal content cited as basis for the action has been made public.

With Section 69A and intermediary-liability provisions now both deployed against a single product in successive months, India's regulatory posture toward decentralized tools points to continued pressure as the election cycle intensifies.