Navy bans use of Facebook by personnel to prevent 'honey-trapping'

NEW DELHI: In yet another military directive to prevent the “leaking” of classified information to online espionage agents from China and Pakistan, the Navy has banned the use of Facebook for all its personnel, while also directing them not to carry smart mobile phones into bases and dockyards as well as on board warships.
The stern directive, which has created some disquiet in the ranks of the maritime force, comes after seven sailors from Vizag, Karwar and Vizag and a Mumbai-based hawala operator were arrested earlier this month for allegedly leaking information to Pakistan after being “virtually honey-trapped” by women who lured them into online relationships.

“Recent case of inimical elements targeting naval personnel over social media to elicit sensitive/operational information is a matter of serious concern necessitating stringent correctives,” said the order issued by the Navy headquarters on Friday.
The order directed the “ban on use of Facebook by all naval personnel and ban on use of smartphones within naval bases/establishments/dockyards/onboard warships” with immediate effect. “Additional safeguards, including bans on messaging apps, networking, blogging, content-sharing, hosting and e-commerce sites, are under promulgation,” it added.
Defence sources said the decision has been taken to ensure the security of classified information in the larger national interest. “The seven sailors arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police, working in conjunction with naval and central intelligence agencies, were allegedly leaking deployment and positions of Indian warships and submarines to their handlers,” said a source.
Mumbai and Karwar on the west coast and Vizag on the east are the most critical operational locations for the Navy, with the bulk of its warships and submarines based there. With the new directive, naval personnel who have Facebook accounts will now have to delete them or face disciplinary action.
Last month, the Army had also directed its personnel to avoid the use of WhatsApp for official work, while asking officers holding “sensitive appointments” to delete their Facebook accounts. There have been several cases over the last couple of years where Pakistani agents posing as women have virtually honey-trapped Indian military personnel into divulging classified information, with even a Group Captain posted at the IAF headquarters in New Delhi falling prey to it last year.
The armed forces have also court-martialed several officers for posting “classified information” like the location of a battalion or a warship, or their patrolling patterns, on social networking websites, as was earlier reported by TOI.