5 months ago
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After years of stringent restrictions connected societal media use, the Indian Army has revised its argumentation to let “passive participation” by its unit connected prime platforms, portion maintaining strict safeguards to support operational security.
According to an Army Headquarters bid accessed by The Hindu, unit are present permitted to entree platforms specified arsenic Instagram and X solely for viewing and monitoring content. Any signifier of progressive engagement, including posting, commenting, sharing, reacting oregon sending messages, remains strictly prohibited.
The revised guidelines, issued by the Army Headquarters done the Directorate General of Military Intelligence (DGMI), person travel into effect immediately. As portion of the update, Instagram has been formally included successful the database of restricted-use societal media platforms.
The argumentation allows entree to applications specified arsenic Instagram lone for “purposes of viewing and monitoring”. “No comments oregon views volition beryllium communicated connected Instagram,” the bid stated, reiterating the Army’s accent connected protecting delicate information.
The guidelines further licence constricted usage of connection platforms specified arsenic Skype, Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal, but lone for the speech of unclassified accusation of a wide nature. Such connection is allowed exclusively with known individuals, with the work of verifying the recipient resting wholly with the user.
For platforms including YouTube, X, Quora and Instagram, lone passive usage to entree accusation oregon summation cognition has been authorised. Uploading user-generated contented oregon engaging successful immoderate signifier of progressive information remains prohibited. LinkedIn whitethorn beryllium utilized lone for nonrecreational purposes specified arsenic uploading résumés oregon seeking accusation related to prospective employers oregon employees.
The revised argumentation besides advises unit to debar generic websites, portals offering cracked oregon pirated software, escaped movie platforms, torrent and VPN services, web proxies, anonymised websites, chat rooms and file-sharing platforms. It further cautions that cloud-based information retention services should beryllium utilized lone with utmost care.
In July 2020, amid heightened information concerns, the Indian Army had directed each officers and soldiers to delete their Facebook and Instagram accounts, on with 89 mobile applications, informing of strict enactment for non-compliance. The banned database included 59 applications with links to China, which were besides prohibited by the Union authorities astatine the time.
