New Delhi: India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ to strike terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministries of IT and Information and Broadcasting are monitoring the social media platforms for any misleading content following the ‘Operation Sindoor’ and are prepared to issue takedown orders, a senior government official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. They have also directed social media platforms to remove any content which is considered unlawful, the official added.
Agencies and organisations which take care of India’s critical infrastructure — including the Power Ministry, financial institutions like banks, and telecom operators — are on “high alert” after facing a slew of cyberattacks after April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the report said. “There have been some DDoS attacks on some infrastructure, but we have contained them. Now we are on high alert because such attempts will certainly be made,” the official reportedly said.
In a meeting on Wednesday between officials from the two ministries, discussions revolved around concerns that social media platforms — especially X — were swamped with misinformation about India’s missile strikes on nine locations targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
As the situation continues to evolve, there were conflicting claims being made by the people online. Against such a backdrop, the government decided to step up monitoring efforts and, use legal measures, if necessary, to curb the spread of such content.
As India launched Operation Sindoor early Wednesday morning, social media platforms were flooded with fake content —ranging from old and unrelated airstrike videos to concocted claims of retaliation and even scenes from video games —all shared to mislead people.
The fact-checking unit of Press Information Bureau (PIB) has verified and debunked several viral claims about the airstrikes that were circulating online.
Users of social media platforms have been asked to be wary by the government. In several posts on social media platform X, the IT Ministry said: “Don’t trust and share unverified information. Check official sources from the Government of India for accurate information.”
