Apple removes 'Bitchat' from 'India App Store' after MeitY order: Jack Dorsey

New Delhi: Jack Dorsey on Saturday claimed that his messaging application Bitchat has been removed from Apple's India App Store following a takedown order issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Taking to the social media platform X, he shared a screenshot of an email purportedly sent by Apple's App Review team in which he wrote: "government of India officially removes bitchat from the App Store."

According to the communication shared by Dorsey, Apple informed that the application will be removed from the India App Store following a demand from MeitY, alleging that the app contains content considered illegal under Indian law.

The notice stated that the takedown request was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Apple's message reportedly said that apps available through its platform must comply with legal requirements in all jurisdictions where they are offered and that failure to meet local legal obligations could result in removal.

The notice further stated that while Bitchat had been removed from the India App Store, it would remain available in other markets selected by the developer.

Apple's TestFlight beta versions of the app would also no longer be available for testing within India, and public TestFlight links would cease functioning in the country.

The notice reportedly advised developers to approach MeitY directly for further information regarding the action.

Bitchat is an offline messaging application that enables communication through Bluetooth-based peer-to-peer networks without requiring internet connectivity or central servers.

Earlier in July, the government directed GitHub to remove repositories hosting Bitchat -- the decentralised messaging application -- citing concerns that the platform could be exploited to evade lawful surveillance and facilitate unlawful activities.

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