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India orders GitHub to disable BitChat repositories
The Indian cybercrime agency directed GitHub to act within three hours, linking BitChat to potential use for bypassing shutdowns and evading surveillance.
Cointelegraph reports that India’s cybercrime agency ordered GitHub to disable access to three repositories related to BitChat within three hours. The agency said BitChat, a decentralized messaging app, could be used to bypass internet shutdowns, evade lawful surveillance, and facilitate unlawful activities.
The outlet adds that India’s Internet Freedom Foundation condemned the order, calling it unconstitutional and warning it threatens free speech and open source software. BitChat routes encrypted messages between nearby devices over Bluetooth and does not rely on internet connectivity or centralized servers.
BitChat was released in July 2025 and has gained traction during periods of unrest and internet outages in countries including Madagascar, Nepal, Uganda, Jamaica, and Iran, according to Cointelegraph. The episode follows broader scrutiny of tools that could be used when networks are restricted.
The brief also notes that, earlier this year, AMLBot estimated that 65% of crypto security incidents in 2025 were driven by social engineering. Separately, Cointelegraph says Binance has been running simulated phishing attacks on its own staff monthly as part of security testing and remediation training.