New Delhi: Amid the increase in fake bomb threats on airlines in recent days, the Centre has issued instructions to social media platforms asking them to take steps against the spread of such information at the earliest. Issuing an advisory, the Centre said that the security agencies, as well as air travellers, have been affected due to hoax bomb threats, which caused problems in normal operations of flights in recent times.
“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 social media platforms,,” the advisory issued by the Centre said.
‘Social media platforms have obligations to carry out due diligence’
The Centre further added that the social media platforms have an obligation to carry out due diligence as per the Information Technology Act (IT Act), 2000, and the Information Technology Rules (IT Rules), 2021, to remove fake informations which affects public order and security.
Asking the social media platforms to stop posting such fake information, it also warned these platforms won’t get any exemption from liability for third-party information, data, or communication “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”.
33 flights received bomb threats on Saturday
Meanwhile, a total of 33 flights received bomb threats on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. Notably, over 300 flights operated by the Indian airlines received hoax bomb threats in last two weeks. Most of these threats were issued through social media platforms.
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