IndiaBitchat, an internet-free messaging app developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has experienced significant growth in India despite being targeted by government authorities who ordered GitHub to remove its source code repository. According to Appfigures data, India accounted for 53% of Bitchat's global downloads over the 30 days ending July 24, with nearly all of the 65,435 Indian installations occurring in the final seven days. Daily downloads surged from 291 on July 19 to a peak of 28,574 on July 23, and the app reached No. 7 among iPhone social networking apps in India by July 24. The Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the government action as an unconstitutional restriction on open-source software access.
Bias read (Progressive): The article frames the government's actions against Bitchat as an unconstitutional restriction on open-source software, implying a broader concern for digital rights and privacy. While the app itself is presented as a technological innovation, the emphasis on the government's crackdown and the legal
