Why defence frowns on social media

Following a surge in honey-trapping cases and security concerns involving armed forces officers, the government has progressively tightened its social media rules for defence personnel, effectively banning them from most networking platforms.

A decade ago, platforms like Facebook and Twitter (now X) captivated users from all walks of life, including military officers.

Initial directives were fairly relaxed, advising service members to avoid sharing personal details such as rank, unit, formation, or duty location –on their profiles. These early rules also discouraged the use of photos in uniform or any images revealing military installations or equipment.


However, since June 2020, the defence establishment in India has taken a far more stringent approach on social media use. Personnel have been instructed to delete their accounts from many platforms in a sweeping move to fortify security.

A lieutenant-colonel challenged the directive in the Delhi High Court. However, the court dismissed his plea in August 2020, stating, “if the government, after complete assessment, has concluded that permitting use of certain social networking websites by personnel of its defence forces is enabling the enemy countries to gain an edge, the courts would be loath to interfere”.

A senior army officer says he, like his colleagues, deleted Facebook and Instagram accounts. “Some official X accounts are allowed, and officers use WhatsApp,” he notes. “A few officers transferred their Facebook profiles to their spouses or children, as those accounts contained many family photos. It’s not easy to wipe out those memories entirely.”