The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has condemned the Indian government's directive to GitHub to remove the source code repositories of the Bluetooth-based messaging app BitChat, calling it 'unconstitutional and authoritarian'.

In a statement, IFF argued that the order issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the home ministry violated legal safeguards by relying on Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, instead of the dedicated blocking framework under Section 69A of the IT Act.

The foundation highlighted that the order did not specify any unlawful content in the repositories and instead targeted BitChat's ability to function during internet shutdowns via Bluetooth mesh networking.IFF criticized the three-hour compliance window as denying GitHub meaningful legal recourse and demanded the government withdraw the notice.

The app allows anonymous communication without mandatory registration or phone verification, raising concerns about digital rights and government overreach.This incident underscores tensions between state control over digital platforms and advocacy for open internet policies.