India government flags Bitchat app as law-and-order risk
In short
India’s IT ministry pushed to remove Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from app stores in India, and government sources said the Bluetooth app raised law-and-order concerns. Apple has already taken it off its India App Store, according to the report.
The move matters because the app can send messages through Bluetooth hops without normal internet messaging. What happens next, including any wider ban or legal step, is not stated in the available reporting.
What the reporting says
India’s IT ministry and government sources moved to remove Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from Indian app stores, saying on Tuesday that the Bluetooth messaging app posed a law-and-order concern. The reported basis is that users could switch on Bluetooth and pass messages through several hops. Apple has already removed the app from its India App Store after the ministry’s demand, but the reporting does not state any further action or timing beyond that.
Why it matters
India’s IT ministry and government sources acted to remove Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from Indian app stores, saying on Tuesday that the Bluetooth messaging app was a law-and-order risk. Apple has already removed it from the India App Store after the ministry’s demand. The reporting says the concern is that messages can travel through several Bluetooth hops. It does not state whether the removal is temporary or permanent.