Indian Army Asks Personnel to Stay Away from Social Media

According to news reports, fearing that national security could be compromised, the Indian Army has asked its personnel not to use social Networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and WeChat as they may have their servers abroad.

The army is concerned that activity on the social media could lead to identification of the army officers and others and their location. Social Media sites are used widely in India and are among the top downloaded applications on smart phones and tablets. Driven by mobile use, India represents the world's third-largest internet population, with over a hundred million with full internet access.

In the past, there have been cases where army officers have been honey-trapped by suspected agents working for Pakistan's ISI and they have faced strict action from the force. More than two Navy officers were also tried and punished by the maritime force after they were indicted for using Facebook accounts and disclosing the position of their respective ships over their Facebook updates.

Security and intelligence agencies have been probing the origins of such web-based chatting platforms with fears that their servers could be based in China having links with the People Liberation Army.

The army is worried that activity on the social media could lead to identification of the army officers and others and their location, sources said.