Apple removes messaging platform that works without internet from India App Store: Developer
· Scroll
Apple has removed the offline messaging application Bitchat from its India App Store after a demand from the Ministry of Information Technology, developer Jack Dorsey said.
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The removal came months after reports that youth demonstrators at Jantar Mantar, who were protesting against alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations, had been using such applications amid temporary internet restrictions that had been imposed at the protest site.
From Friday, protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls were held in Delhi and Mumbai.
Bitchat is an open-source, decentralised messaging application that allows nearby users to communicate without mobile data, Wi-Fi, phone numbers or centralised servers. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy to connect nearby phones, with each device capable of relaying messages to others and thereby extending the network’s reach. Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, and the application does not require users to create accounts or provide persistent identifiers.
While removal from the App Store does not delete Bitchat from phones, it stops new downloads and security updates.
In July, the Union Home Ministry asked software platform GitHub to remove the repositories for Bitchat citing security concerns, according to a notice shared by Dorsey.
On Saturday, Dorsey shared in a...