Current Affairs - Technology - Discussion

GitHub was directed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to remove repositories associated with the Bluetooth-based messaging app Bitchat. The action was taken under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, citing national security concerns. Bitchat is a decentralised, open-source messaging application that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks instead of the internet or centralised servers. Authorities expressed concerns that its anonymous and offline communication capabilities could be misused by terrorists, cybercriminals, organised crime groups, and other anti-national elements, making monitoring and law enforcement more challenging.