India's Bitchat Takedown Targets Software Architecture, Not Content — and May Exceed Legal Authority

India's July 23 takedown order directed GitHub to remove three Bitchat repositories, citing the app's decentralized Bluetooth mesh design as a facilitator of unlawful activity. The notice identified no specific illegal content. SFLC.in's Mishi Choudhary argues the cited legal provisions authorize blocking content, not removing software projects based on architecture. The outcome could define governments' reach into developer infrastructure.