bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

India has warned social media platforms of “consequential action” after hundreds of hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines this month triggered travel chaos and terror it said threatened national security.
Some threats led to planes being diverted to Canada and Germany, and fighter jets scrambled to escort aircraft in the skies above Britain and Singapore.
The government called the spread of the threats “dangerously unrestrained”.
It warned social media platforms of “consequential action as provided under any law” if they do not comply with the “prompt removal of misinformation”.
“The instances of malicious acts, in the form of hoax bomb threats to such airlines, lead to a potential threat to the public order and security of the state,” it said in a statement on Saturday.

“Such hoax bomb threats, while affecting a large number of citizens, also destabilises the economic security of the country.”
At least 275 bomb threats were made since mid-October, all reported to have been false, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. Other Indian media suggest it could be as high as nearly 400.
“The exemption from liability for any third party information … shall not apply if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations,” it added.
Civil aviation authorities have had to check every flight that has been threatened, many by messages posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The government warning did not mention any social media company by name, but cited an advisory notice from the information technology ministry.
“The scale of (the) spread of such hoax bomb threats has been observed to be dangerously unrestrained due to the availability of the option of ‘forwarding/re-sharing/reposting/retweeting’ on the social media platforms,” the information ministry said.
It said companies must report any offences “likely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security or economic security” of the country, and cooperate swiftly with government agencies to aid investigations.
The government said it is discussing “legislative action” to overhaul aviation and aircraft security laws, and to make those who make such threats guilty of a serious, or “cognisable”, crime with longer potential sentences.
India, the world’s biggest democracy, regularly ranks among the top five countries globally for the number of requests made by a government to remove social media content.
Last year, an Indian court hit X with a US$61,000 fine after the platform unsuccessfully challenged orders to remove tweets and accounts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.


Bollywood star Aamir Khan nearly retired during Covid-19 pandemic, but ex-wife brought him back

Big win in Maharashtra polls signals BJP’s renewed dominance of Indian politics

Hope grows for India-China economic ties amid Trump’s tariff threats

India’s killer smog is piling on the costs to citizens, the economy

India

India warns social media after airline bomb threats

Authorities have vowed to get tough on social media platfoms that allow the spread of disinformation which threatens the safety of Indian airlines. File photo: Reuters

The hoax bomb threats have led to flights being diverted or given a fighter escort. File photo: Reuters

Many of the prank threats were reportedly made on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. File photo: AFP 

India’s airlines face uncertainties over fake bomb threats ahead of key holidays

Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Air India aircraft parked in New Delhi. Photo: AP

A rally in support of an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan outside the Indian consulate in Toronto last year. Photo: TNS

An Indigo aircraft prepares for take off at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hoax bomb threats plague India’s airlines – with 30 in 1 day

Planes queue up on the tarmac before taking off at an airport in Mumbai, India. Photo: AFP

An anonymous account on the X social media platform was suspended after posting bomb threats to at least 40 flights. Photo: AFP

An Air India aircraft on the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The carrier has had several flights affected by the hoax threats. Photo: Bloomberg

News

Asia

South Asia

The warning was made after a series of bomb hoaxes disrupted the operations of Indian airlines in October.


Social media

X (formerly Twitter)

Aviation