NEW DELHI — India has issued a “consequential action” warning to social media platforms after hundreds of false bomb threats against Indian airlines this month sparked travel chaos and terror that threatened national security.
Some of the threats resulted in planes being diverted to Canada and Germany and fighter jets scrambling to escort the planes over Britain and Singapore.
The government called the spread of threats “dangerously unrestricted.”
He warned social media platforms of “follow-up action provided for by any law” if they fail to comply with “immediate removal of misinformation.”
“Instances of malicious acts in the form of false bomb threats against such airlines result in a potential threat to public order and national security,” the company said in a statement on Saturday.
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“Such false bomb threats, while affecting large numbers of citizens, will also destabilize the economic security of the country.”
At least 275 bomb threats have been made since mid-October, all of which have been found to be false, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. Other Indian media outlets suggest the number could be nearly 400.
“Exemption from liability for any third party information… does not apply if such intermediaries fail to comply with due diligence obligations,” it added.
“Economic security”
Civil aviation authorities had to inspect every flight that was threatened, many of which were published on X.
The government’s warning did not mention any social media company but cited an advisory notice from the IT ministry.
“It has been observed that the scope of circulation of such false bomb threats has become dangerously unlimited due to the availability of forward/re-share/re-post/retweet option on social media platforms,” the information ministry said.
It says companies must report any wrongdoing “that may jeopardize the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security or economic security” of the country and cooperate quickly with government authorities to assist in investigations.
The government on Monday said it was discussing “legislative measures” to overhaul aviation and safety laws and make those who make such threats guilty of a serious or “cognizable” crime with possible longer sentences.
India, the world’s largest democracy, regularly ranks among the top five countries in the world with the highest number of government requests to remove content from social media.
Last year, an Indian court fined X $61,000 after the platform unsuccessfully challenged an order to remove tweets and accounts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.