Indian Navy bans use of Facebook, smartphones by personnel within naval areas

The Indian Navy, taking a huge step has banned the use of Facebook by naval personnel. It has also banned the use of smartphones at naval bases, dockyards and onboard warships. According to news agency ANI, the “stringent” step has been taken by the force soon after seven naval personnel were caught leaking sensitive information to enemy intelligence agencies over social media.

Bans on messaging apps under promulgation

The order was issued on December 27. Indian Navy has also said that a ban on messaging apps, networking and blogging, content sharing, hosting, e-commerce sites is under promulgation. Further, the ban on Facebook is being seen as a ban on all other Facebook-owned sites as well. WhatsApp and Instagram are Facebook-owned. The restriction has been imposed to avoid navy personnel from becoming a target of honey traps ran by spies on the social network, and in the process, compromising on sensitive information pertaining to national security.

8 arrested for leaking sensitive information

The Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department had launched an operation in association with Central Intelligence Agencies and Naval Intelligence and had arrested seven Navy personnel and a hawala operator from Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai respectively after they allegedly passed on sensitive information like locations of naval ships and submarines to a Pakistani handler. All these seven sailors who were recruited in 2017 had fallen prey to a honey trap on Facebook in September 2018.

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Lured on the pretext of an online relationship, the sailors whose chats with the women were sexual in nature were also blackmailed later to reveal the positions and movement of warships and submarines. The sailors were also paid money every month through a hawala operator. The police arrested three Indian Navy sailors from Visakhapatnam, two from Karwar naval base, and two from Mumbai naval base. 

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