由杰克·多西开发的去中心化即时通讯应用Bitchat旨在实现无互联网连接状态下的信息传输。在新德里方面首次试图限制该开源软件的使用数月后，这款应用如今已从印度的苹果与谷歌应用商店中消失。
Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app designed to work without an internet connection, has disappeared from Apple and Google’s app stores in India, months after New Delhi first sought to restrict access to the open-source software.
多西于周六透露，印度政府已下令苹果公司将该应用从印度的App Store下架。多西在社交平台X上发布的苹果公司通知显示，印度电子与信息技术部依据《信息技术法》第69A条提出了这一要求——该条款正是印度政府下令屏蔽网络内容的主要法律依据。
Dorsey said Saturday that the Indian government had ordered Apple to remove Bitchat from its App Store in the country. In a notice from Apple that Dorsey posted on X, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the country’s primary legal provision for government-ordered online blocking.
苹果公司的通知还指出，Bitchat在印度以外的地区仍可继续在App Store上提供下载；不过在该国通过TestFlight测试服务获取该应用的途径也将被阻断。
Apple’s notice said Bitchat would remain available on its App Store outside India. However, access to the app through its TestFlight beta-testing service would also be blocked in the country.
据TechCrunch周六的核实，Bitchat同样无法通过谷歌应用商店在印度下载。此外，在印度各大互联网服务提供商的网络环境下，该应用的官方网站也无法访问。目前尚不清楚谷歌公司及各互联网服务提供商是否也接到了联邦政府的类似指令。
Bitchat was also no longer available for download through Google Play in India when TechCrunch checked on Saturday. Bitchat’s website was also inaccessible across various internet service providers in the country. It was not immediately clear whether Google and internet service providers had also received directions from the federal government.
苹果公司、谷歌以及印度电子与信息技术部均未对相关询问作出回应。
Apple, Google, and India’s IT ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Bitchat于去年7月正式发布，该应用借助蓝牙网状网络技术，使邻近设备无需依赖蜂窝网络、互联网或中心化服务器即可交换加密信息。
Launched in July last year, Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to allow nearby devices to exchange encrypted messages without relying on cellular networks, internet access, or centralized servers.
2026年7月，多西透露印度当局已要求GitHub撤下与该开源通讯应用相关的代码库，这一举措引发了数字权利倡导者及法律专家对“仅凭软件功能便实施限制”这一做法的合法性问题的广泛讨论。
In July 2026, Dorsey revealed that Indian authorities had ordered GitHub to take down repositories associated with the open-source messaging app, raising questions among digital rights advocates and legal experts about the legal basis for restricting software based on its functionality.
印度政府当时在向GitHub下达的命令中称，Bitchat的架构使执法机构难以截获通信或追踪用户，并指出该应用可在互联网中断期间继续运行。印度政府7月发布的命令依据了《信息技术法》中一项涉及中介机构及其对第三方内容所负责任务的规定。这与苹果最新通知中援引的第69A条不同。
The Indian government said in its order to GitHub at the time that Bitchat’s architecture made it hard for law enforcement agencies to intercept communications or trace users, and pointed to its ability to continue operating during internet shutdowns. The July order relied on a provision of India’s information technology law that deals with intermediaries and their liability for third-party content. That differs from Section 69A, cited in Apple’s latest notice.
总部位于新德里的数字权利倡导组织互联网自由基金会称，最新命令违宪，认为第69A条允许政府屏蔽违法信息，但不允许政府仅因某款即时通信应用能够在断网期间运行就将其屏蔽。该组织还表示，屏蔽命令以及作为采取此次行动依据、被指非法的内容均未公开。
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, called the latest order unconstitutional, arguing that Section 69A allows the government to block unlawful information but not a messaging app because of its ability to operate during internet shutdowns. It also said neither the blocking order nor the allegedly illegal content cited as the basis for the action had been made public.
随着印度围绕选民名册调整出现新一轮由青年主导的抗议，Bitchat面临最新限制。周六，新德里多人在示威活动期间被警方拘留，抗议者要求印度首席选举辞职，理由是选民名册涉嫌被操纵。周五，新德里贾恩塔曼塔附近发生抗议活动，当局暂停了当地的互联网服务12小时。
The latest restrictions on Bitchat come as India is seeing a fresh wave of youth-led protests over changes to the country’s voter rolls. Police detained several people during demonstrations in New Delhi on Saturday, as protesters demanded the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. Authorities suspended internet services around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on Friday during protests there.
据报道，在7月的抗议活动期间，当局暂停互联网服务后，示威者转而使用Bitchat和另一款应用Briar。
During July’s protests, demonstrators reportedly turned to Bitchat and rival app Briar after authorities suspended internet services.
与此同时，Bitchat在印度的热度大幅上升。市场情报公司Sensor Tower的数据显示，7月17日至23日，印度约占该应用全球下载量的85%，而此前30天这一比例仅为1%左右。
Interest in Bitchat surged in India around the same time. The country accounted for about 85% of the app’s global downloads between July 17 and July 23, up from roughly 1% in the previous 30 days, data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower showed.