Indian Army men asked to quit social networking

The Indian government had asked for censorship over content on Facebook, Google and other social sites, late last year. The companies and the government had their first tough talk over the web censorship hearing this month, while the next hearing has been scheduled for February 2. Now, the Indian Army has put forth orders that its personnel should quit social networking sites they’ve joined, like Facebook and Orkut. Those who are already members must quit it and those who aren’t on such sites cannot join them in future, reports AsianAge.

Gets 'biz'y

Army men were asked not to post any pictures in uniform, or their units and weaponry, and this was being monitored. However, now the Indian Army is finding it difficult to monitor these sites to find out if anyone has been posting any such pictures, which could leak information on social sites, say reports.

Reportedly, there are a significant number of army officers active on social sites, such as Facebook. The Army fears that its officers could be attracted to leaking classified data on social websites, if someone wants to trap them using ‘honeytraps’ and other methods likewise.

With this, the army wants its officers to realize that no information can be posted on social sites even through family members or friends. These orders will be enforced on all 36,000 officers and also other personnel in the 1.13 million force. A source also reveals that those found violating the orders will face stringent action.

In 2010, the Israeli army had to call off a raid against Palestinian territory, after a soldier posted details, including the time and place, on social networking website, Facebook. The soldier described in a status update how his unit planned a ‘clean-up’ arrest raid in a West Bank area. Social sites can be alluring, but we need to know where to draw the line.