Indian Army Bans Whatsapp Groups For Serving Officers After Cases Of Honey Trapping Increases

In their latest security advisory, Indian Army has banned their serving officers from participating and joining Whatsapp Groups, and social media in general.

This has been described as a security measure, and not a ‘censorship’.

As per the advisory issued, Indian Army has instructed all their officers and personnel to be part of only those Whatsapp Groups where the other members are also serving officers and active Armymen.

In case there is non-Army personnel in a Whatsapp Group or social media network, then those groups need to be abandoned.

Periodic checks would be conducted to check across Whatsapp Groups frequented by Army men to execute this order.

Army men and officers have been instructed to only use Military tel service for communication as well.

The Rise Of Spies Among Social Media Networks

This strict advisory against using Whatsapp group has been issued after a series of spying cases erupted, wherein social networks such as Instagram and Whatsapp were used for spying by Pakistani/Chinese agents.

Last month, an advisory was issued against an alleged Pakistani women spy, with the name of “Oyesoumya” on Instagram and “Gujjar Soumya”. 

Army said, “It is necessary that the envt may be sensitised against any contact with the profile and threats pertaining to the same as there is a likelihood that the profile being used by inimical agencies to create inroads into the social media accounts of gullible services persons to gain information of classified nature.”

Women Spies Are Honey-Trapping Indian Army Jawans

In the month of May, a 26-year old Army clerk from Madhya Pradesh was honey-trapped by a Pakistani spy, and he was seduced to pass on vital information to her.

He was from the infantry battalion in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, and the Pakistani soy befriended him on Facebook stating that she is an international journalist.

In the month of January, a single Pakistani spy on Facebook, with the name of Anika Chopra honey trapped not one, but 50 Army Jawans in Rajasthan alone.

This was confirmed by Defence PRO Colonel Sambit Ghosh after a Jawan was arrested in Jaiselmer when he was caught passing on crucial information to the spy.

Not only Jawans, but a Group Captain from Air Force too was caught passing on information to Pakistani spies on Facebook, who was befriended, and honey-trapped.

Last month, a bot was caught trying to honeytrap 98 defense personnel from Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, paramilitary forces and state police of UP and Rajasthan, between 2015 and 2018.

Since such incidences are rising, Indian Army has to issue security advisories and let the Army men know about the dangers of social media such as Whatsapp and Facebook.

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