The Indian Navy has imposed a ban on use of social media by its personnel and prohibited smartphones on its warships, naval dockyards and bases, according to media reports.
According to media reports, the order was issued on December 27 and comes in the wake of the exposure of an espionage ring on December 20. As many as seven Indian Navy personnel were arrested in a joint operation involving Andhra Pradesh Police, Central intelligence agencies and Naval Intelligence.
One of the first publications to report on the restrictions was StratPost, a media outlet covering defence issues. StratPost reported the order “promulgates a ban on the use of messaging and content-sharing apps, which would presumably include the Facebook-owned popular apps, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram”.
Investigation of the espionage ring that was cracked on December 20 revealed that Pakistan-based handlers had used Facebook to honey-trap Indian Navy personnel in September 2018. The Indian Navy personnel were used to elicit information on movement of warships and submarines. The Navy personnel were also paid money monthly through hawala channels. Of the seven Indian Navy personnel arrested, three were based at naval facilities at Visakhapatnam, two from Karwar and two from Mumbai.
It is yet unclear how the order will be implemented particularly in areas such as naval dockyards, where a majority of workers are civilians and do not specifically come under the Indian Navy’s rules.
Ironically, the Indian Navy had been a pioneer among the three services in embracing social media, using it for purposes as diverse as highlighting its achievements and for conducting recruitment.