Centre's Big Caution To Social Media Platforms Over Fake Bomb Threats

The spate of fake bomb threats issued to airlines poses a threat to public order, the Centre has told social media platforms while ordering them to act against the spread of such misinformation at the earliest.

It has also warned the social media companies that the exemption available to them for third-party content as intermediaries under the Information Technology Act will not apply if they don't follow their due diligence obligations or aid in committing an unlawful act. 

In an advisory sent on Friday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said air travellers and security agencies have been affected because of the hoax bomb threats, which have disrupted the normal operations of airlines. 

"Such hoax bomb threats, while affecting a large number of citizens, also destabilise the economic security of the country. Further, the scale of spread of such hoax bomb threats has been observed to be dangerously unrestrained due to the availability of the option of 'forwarding/re-sharing/ re-posting/ re-tweeting' on the social media platforms. Such hoax bomb threats are mostly misinformation that is massively disrupting public order, operations of airlines and security of the airline travellers," the ministry said in the advisory. 

The ministry pointed out that the platforms have an obligation to carry out due diligence under the Information Technology Act (IT Act), 2000, and the Information Technology Rules (IT Rules), 2021, to remove misinformation that affects public order and security. 

It asked the platforms to stop the posting and sharing of such "unlawful or false" information and warned that the exemption from liability for third-party information, data, or communication hosted by social media intermediaries will not apply "if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations as prescribed under the IT Act read with IT Rules, 2021 or abetted or aided, in the commission of the unlawful act".

If the due diligence obligations were not followed, the ministry said, the platforms would be liable for action under the IT Act as well as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which has replaced the Indian Penal Code. 

The ministry urged the companies to make efforts to prevent such threats from being disseminated on their platforms and remove such content or disable access to it. The government also reminded the companies that they are required to inform the concerned authorities if they perceive any act on their platforms that can threaten India's security, economic security or unity. 

Flights Hit

At least 275 flights have received bomb threats since a series of them started getting issued last week. Many of the threats have been posted on social media platforms, including X. 

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who has spoken on the issue several times, reiterated on Friday that the government will take strict action against the culprits and that the safety and security of airline passengers and crew remains its top priority. 

"We are deeply concerned In the wake of recent hoax bomb threats disrupting air travel. I assure you that safety and security are our highest priorities, and we are committed to taking strict action against those behind these malicious acts. Let's work together to ensure safe skies for all," he posted on X. 

A 17-year-old school dropout from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police last week over the threats issued on October 14. Officials said the teenager allegedly created a handle on X in the name of a friend with whom he had a dispute and posted bomb threats from it to frame him. 

Several agencies are investigating the threats and cases have also been registered by the Mumbai and Delhi Police.