The header image of the Indian Navy Facebook page | Source: Facebook.com/IndianNavy
The Indian Navy has placed a ban on the use of Facebook by all its personnel ‘with immediate effect’. Naval Headquarters issued an order to this effect on Friday.
This comes shortly after the arrest of seven personnel who were involved in an alleged spy ring with links to Pakistan, exposed earlier this month after a joint operation conducted by Andhra Pradesh Intelligence and Naval Intelligence. Operation Dolphin’s Nose also resulted in the arrest of a hawala operator.
It is understood that at least some of the sailors arrested were ‘honey-trapped’ over the social networking website.
The order issued on Friday also prohibits the use of smartphones by naval personnel on naval bases and establishments, dockyards and ships.
Finally, the order also promulgates a ban on the use of messaging and content-sharing apps, which would presumably include the Facebook-owned popular apps, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
There is some bewilderment over the order. Not only are there already existing specific guidelines for the use of social networks by naval personnel, most workers in some establishments, like dockyards, are civilian personnel and not subject to this order. Further, a considerable portion of the protocol for emergency action relies on the use of smartphones. It is not clear if these issues have been addressed, separately.
While there is no specific mention of Tinder or Bumble in the order, under the wide terms of reference they would be covered by the sanction, as well, especially since the order has ostensibly been prompted by cases of ‘honey-traps’.
Still, even though this comes only a few days before New Year’s Eve, naval personnel maintain with utter seriousness they have no requirement for dating apps like Tinder or Bumble.
There is, also, no word yet on the fate of the navy’s Facebook page, which has over 1.1 million followers. The Indian Navy has a strength of 56,000 personnel.
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