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Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

thehindu.com

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Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#61

Post by snarf21 »

Barbing wrote: post #42
soulofmischief wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally any encrypted mesh net communication protocol would be subject to the same propaganda. The point of this stuff is providing checks and balances for the people against a rogue government, or emergency situation. Yeah, did you know criminals can use roads to commit crimes, too? We should destroy all of the roads. Terrorists also use food to give them energy to commit more terrorism, so we should start regulat…

Honestly no idea what I’d do if I were in government. Originally you’d communicate by mail and they could get a warrant. The day encrypted comms showed up, they wouldn’t just want to give up. If you love the encryption but hate the terrorism, what to do? Double down on old school / physical surveillance? (Obviously not my field)

So there was no terrorism or crime or trafficking or money laundering prior to encrypted comms?

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#62

Post by logicchains »

iambenm wrote: post #17

India is pretty serious about being able to monitor all communications after the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The terrorists used satellite phones to coordinate the attack. As a result, they banned most satellite communication devices. I learned about this earlier this year because I had a connecting flight through India on the way to go trekking in the Himalayas. I had planned to take a Garmin inReach with me,…

The Indian government is pretty serious about cracking down violently on peaceful protesters: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/23/india-excessive-force-us...

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#63

Post by realo »

iamnothere wrote: post #23
ranger_danger wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what happens if you have a flight that gets diverted to India and they search your bags and find a satellite phone?

Believe it or not, straight to jail.

[flagged]

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#64

Post by kube-system »

lebuffon wrote: post #21

India is kind of cute. In the late 90s I attended a Telephone industry conference while working for a telephony test equipment company. A rep. from the Indian government gave a talk on their telephone system regulations. During the question period I got up and asked how India was dealing with voice over internet protocol (VOIP). With a straight face the speaker replied "We will not allow it". :-)

And it's also cute when people imply the internet is unregulateable. There are plenty of tools that countries use to regulate internet traffic. They can require ISPs to DPI the traffic and block it. They can MITM traffic. They can shut off the internet entirely. They can throw people in jail. etc.

This stuff happens in many places, including in India.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#66

Post by thenthenthen »

jdoss wrote: post #11
tehlike wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meshtastic, reticulum, meshcore... We need more.

I was thinking the same thing. We do need more. I set up a Meshtastic node at the house and joined https://chicagolandmesh.org/ which has been a fantastic community for beginners in mesh based comms.

Question, what do you do with the network?

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#67

Post by iamnothere »

kube-system wrote: post #64
lebuffon wrote: post #21

India is kind of cute. In the late 90s I attended a Telephone industry conference while working for a telephony test equipment company. A rep. from the Indian government gave a talk on their telephone system regulations. During the question period I got up and asked how India was dealing with voice over internet protocol (VOIP). With a straight face the speaker replied "We will not allow it". :-)

And it's also cute when people imply the internet is unregulateable. There are plenty of tools that countries use to regulate internet traffic. They can require ISPs to DPI the traffic and block it. They can MITM traffic. They can shut off the internet entirely. They can throw people in jail. etc. This stuff happens in many places, including in India.

They could even just shoot people for using the internet! It’s hopeless. Anyone who wants freedom should probably just give up now before it’s too late.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#68

Post by ecshafer »

lava_pidgeon wrote: post #36
petcat wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something like this would be basically impossible in the US, and it wouldn't even matter what kind of administration tried it. The US government doesn't even order ISPs to block websites because they run afoul of all kinds of 1st amendment litigation. They just have the FBI seize a domain after a court order. Honestly I would think something like this would come from the EU or UK. UK is trying to ban VPNs, EU is tryi…

Oh boy , this is American exceptionalism at its finest. The US has by far the most authoritarian government of all mentioned entities. Really you should protest against your government.

How many people has the US sent to jail due to saying naughty things on Twitter vs the UK? If were going to speak of authoritarianism. Just due to ensuring free speech and right to bear arms the US is possibly the least authoritarian developed nation outside of maybe Switzerland.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#69

Post by [deleted] »

delecti wrote: post #53
Barbing wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not for diversions necessarily. Diversion versus expected connection should at least help one’s lawyers… hopefully.

Lawyers can get you out of jail, but you need to be pretty rich for your lawyers to prevent going to jail in the first place.

[deleted]

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#70

Post by bryanrasmussen »

logicchains wrote: post #62
iambenm wrote: post #17

India is pretty serious about being able to monitor all communications after the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The terrorists used satellite phones to coordinate the attack. As a result, they banned most satellite communication devices. I learned about this earlier this year because I had a connecting flight through India on the way to go trekking in the Himalayas. I had planned to take a Garmin inReach with me,…

The Indian government is pretty serious about cracking down violently on peaceful protesters: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/23/india-excessive-force-us...

One of the formative narratives of Indian independence is that peaceful protest works in getting rid of bad governments.

on edit: changed myths to narratives to avoid confusion

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