NEW DELHI: To keep the secret operational and service data safe, the Centre is all set to enforce fresh guidelines for officers of paramilitary forces so that the sharing of confidential information can be curbed.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its new guidelines, said any official found guilty of sharing such information without permission would have to face legal action.
The guidelines came in the wake of certain instances where paramilitary personnel personal used cell phones to click pictures of ongoing or concluded operations which later found their way into social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, among others.
“Divulging of such information on social media without the permission of the competent authority is against the national information security policy,” the guidelines read. The guidelines have also mandated that the respective chiefs (directors-general) of the forces such as the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, Sashastra Seema Bal and the National Security Guards will be the authorities mandated to clear release of pictures, videos, text and other information on “operations and other service matters” on social media either via the official handles of these forces or directly to the media (journalists). All the forces, except National Security Guards, now have their Twitter handles and Facebook pages and they post general information about the activities in their respective domains after obtaining clearance from the top command. Officials estimate that over 75 per cent of the troops in these forces now have smartphones which can capture pictures and videos with good clarity.