India warns social media after plane bomb threats

“ECONOMIC SECURITY”

Civil aviation authorities had to inspect every flight that was threatened, many of which were posted on X, formerly Twitter.

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 longer potential 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.