Apple removes Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from India App Store after MeitY order

New Delhi: Apple has removed messaging application Bitchat from its India App Store following a takedown order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Jack Dorsey claimed on Saturday.

Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, shared a screenshot on X of an email purportedly sent by Apple’s App Review team and said the “government of India officially removes bitchat from the App Store”.

According to the communication shared by Dorsey, Apple told the developer that Bitchat would be removed from the India App Store following a demand from MeitY. The notice said the application contained content considered illegal under Indian law.

The communication cited Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as the legal basis for the takedown request.

Apple reportedly told the developer that applications distributed through its platform must comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions where they are available. It also warned that failure to meet local legal requirements could lead to an app being removed.

The notice said Bitchat would no longer be available on the India App Store but would remain accessible in other markets selected by the developer.

Apple also said the app’s TestFlight beta versions would no longer be available for testing in India. Public TestFlight links for the application would also stop functioning in the country.

The developer was advised to contact MeitY directly for further details about the government’s takedown request.

Bitchat is a decentralised messaging application that allows users to communicate without an internet connection or central servers. It uses Bluetooth-based peer-to-peer networks to facilitate communication between users.

The latest action follows a government directive in July asking GitHub to remove repositories hosting Bitchat. At the time, authorities cited concerns that the decentralised messaging platform could potentially be used to evade lawful surveillance and facilitate unlawful activities.

Dorsey’s post did not provide further details about the specific content cited by MeitY in its request. The action means the application is unavailable through Apple’s India App Store while continuing to be offered in other markets, subject to local requirements.

With IANS inputs