The Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) expanded its crackdown on Bluetooth-based mesh messaging applications during last week’s student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, issuing takedown notices for multiple apps that can function without internet connectivity. While public attention centred on takedown notices targeting Jack Dorsey’s BitChat GitHub repository, I4C also directed Google to remove BitChat, Briar and Bridgefy from the Play Store, Apple to remove BitChat and Bridgefy from the App Store, and GitHub to disable BitChat’s code repository, according to officials and documents reviewed by The Tech Trace.

The notices, signed by Manoj Kumar Meena, Director of I4C’s National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), gave intermediaries three hours to comply. However, officials orally instructed them the following day not to enforce the takedown directions.

Timeline:

  • July 23: I4C issued a takedown notice to Google, directing it to disable Play Store listings for BitChat, Briar and Bridgefy within three hours.
  • July 23: Apple received a similar notice covering BitChat and Bridgefy. Briar was not included because it is unavailable on iOS.
  • July 23: GitHub received a notice seeking the removal of BitChat’s code repository.
  • July 23: According to a telecom executive, telecom operators also received directions to block access to Bluetooth-enabled messaging apps and related URLs.
  • July 24: Government officials orally informed technology companies and telecom operators that they did not need to comply with the previous day’s takedown and blocking directions.
  • July 24 onwards: The apps remained available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, while BitChat’s GitHub repository also remained online.

Legal basis of these orders: The notices invoke Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

 Section 79 grants intermediaries safe harbour from liability for third-party content, but they risk losing that protection if, after being notified by the appropriate government or its agency that material on their platform is being used to commit an unlawful act, they fail to expeditiously remove or disable access to it. 

Rule 3(1)(d) requires intermediaries to stop hosting, storing or publishing such unlawful information upon receiving a court order or a government notification issued under Section 79(3)(b). 

What are mesh messaging apps? BitChat, Briar and Bridgefy are decentralised, peer-to-peer messaging applications that create mesh networks using Bluetooth rather than relying on mobile networks, internet connectivity or central servers. Messages travel from one nearby device to another until they reach the intended recipient, allowing users to communicate even during internet shutdowns. 

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Last Update: July 27, 2026