NEW DELHI: The government has directed Microsoft-owned GitHub to remove Bitchat, a Bluetooth-based messaging application, citing concerns that it could be misused by anti-national elements, terrorists, organised crime groups and cybercriminals to evade lawful surveillance.
According to a notice issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the cybercrime arm of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the application enables decentralised peer-to-peer communication over Bluetooth mesh networks without relying on mobile networks, Wi-Fi or centralised servers. I4C noted that Bitchat is among several applications capable of establishing decentralised peer-to-peer messaging.
It noted that the architecture of the application “significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution and investigation”. The notice added that the absence of a centralised service provider limits the ability of law enforcement agencies to obtain subscriber information.