The Indian Army has revised its social media policy to permit personnel to access select platforms, including Instagram and X, while enforcing strict safeguards. Under the new guidelines, personnel are allowed only to view and monitor content and are barred from posting, in order to safeguard operational security.
Army Headquarters has issued the directive through the Directorate General of Military Intelligence (DGMI) and has come into force with immediate effect. The existing social media guidelines have been updated to formally include Instagram under the list of restricted-use platforms.
Army personnel can use Instagram
Under the revised guidelines, soldiers are allowed to use the social media platform Instagram solely for "purposes of viewing and monitoring," reported news agency ANI, citing defence officials. Posting, commenting, sharing, reacting, or sending messages on the platform remained prohibited.
"Indian Army issued policy on use of social media applications like Instagram and others, allowing personnel to access Instagram for "purposes of viewing and monitoring only. No comments/ views will be communicated on Instagram, said defence officials.
Directions for use of other social media platforms
Further outlining the limited use of social media platforms, the Army has permitted the use of Skype, Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal strictly for the exchange of unclassified information of a general nature. Such communication is allowed only with known individuals, and the responsibility for correctly identifying the recipient rests entirely with the user.
For platforms such as YouTube, X, Quora, and Instagram, only passive use to access information or gain knowledge has been permitted. Uploading user-generated content, posting messages or any form of active participation is strictly prohibited.
LinkedIn, meanwhile, may be used solely for uploading resumes or seeking information related to potential employers or employees.
The amendment also advises personnel against accessing or using generic websites, sites offering cracked or pirated software, free movie platforms, torrent and VPN software, as well as web proxies, anonymised websites, chat rooms and file-sharing sites. It further cautions that cloud-based data storage platforms should be used only with extreme care.
Army personnel were asked to delete 89 apps in July 2020
In July 2020, the Indian Army had directed all its officers and soldiers to delete their Facebook and Instagram accounts, along with 89 mobile applications, citing security concerns and the risk of sensitive data leakage. The Army had warned that strict action would be taken against personnel who failed to comply with the order.
The banned list included 59 applications with Chinese links, such as TikTok, which were also prohibited by the Union government at the time.
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