The Indian governments ban on BitChat puts all software companies at risk

This order is illegal and unlawful and there’s no law as far as I know that allows the Government of India to do this. They’re acting as a law unto themselves.

Let me explain:

1. Bitchat itself has not violated any law. It’s a piece of software that people use to communicate without the Internet. If a threat was created using Microsoft Word offline, would you hold Microsoft responsible for it? If that is the principled rationale here, then every software in the world is susceptible to the vagaries of actions from the Indian government.
2. Such an act of disproportionate blocking needs to be backed up with proof: merely being able to communicate without surveillance, is not a violation of any law. Neither the platform nor the government of India can track what is being done with it. On what basis is this order being issued?
3. Decentralised technologies are critical to the functioning of the web: They allow users to take control over their own internet usage, without dependence on a single platform. Maybe that’s exactly it: the Indian government controls our speech and our communications THROUGH concentrated large platforms like x, Instagram, Facebook, and the idea of decentralisation, where they can’t order a single player to take something down, seems unmanageable to them.
4. An act of blocking has to be proportionate: there is legitimate speech potentially on the platform itself. We don’t know what is the actual speech which it thinks (doesn’t know) is illegal. By taking down these platforms you censor/prevent people from having the opportunity to communicate privately, and legitimately.
5. Directing Github to remove this app is also deeply problematic: not only is Bitchat not illegal, a platform that allows you to download an app or code for your own personal usage, for legal purposes, is also not illegal. Github is at risk because it’s a centralised platform btw.
6. No law in India mandates an app to have mandatory user registration, phone number verification or centralised logging of communications. There is no ban on anonymous coordination. Surveillance isn’t mandatory. In face, many existing communications apps do not do this. THIS as a basis for issuing a blocking order is itself illegal – no law supports this action.
7. The order says that the platform is capable of being used for unlawful activities: I’m afraid that’s no reason for blocking something. A messaging app can be used for illegal activities, it can be used for legal activities. A knife can be used to till or cut fruit. You don’t ban knifes.

Again, this order is illegal and unlawful and there’s no law as far as I know that allows the government of India to do this. They’re acting as a law unto themselves.