Hoax bomb threats to flights: Social media platforms must take action, IT ministry warns

Social media intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to disallow such malicious acts including hoax bomb threats from being disseminated on their platforms, the advisory said.

New Delhi: In the wake of a spate of hoax bomb threats to several Indian airlines for the past several days, the Centre on Saturday asked social media platforms to block access to such content and reminded them that a "failure to do so could lead to them losing legal immunity from hosting third-party content".

The Ministry of Information Technology and Electronics in its advisory to social media platforms like Facebook and X , said that "social media intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to disallow such malicious acts including hoax bomb threats from being disseminated on their platforms.”

"The social media intermediaries must observe their due diligence obligations that include the prompt removal or disabling access to such unlawful information specified under the IT Rules, 2021, including hoax bomb threats, well within the strict timelines as prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021," the advisory said.

The Ministry also asked the social media platforms to share information about such posts and users with the government within 72 hours for investigative purposes.

The Ministry officials already held a discussion with the social media platforms' representatives and told them to block such accounts where hoax bomb threat messages were posted, mostly on X.

“Apart from removing or disabling access to such misinformation, there is an additional liability on concerned intermediaries under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) to mandatorily report certain offences perceived to be committed by any user of their platform that includes, among others, any act with the intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security, or economic security of India,” the advisory said.

"As part of such due diligence obligations, it is the responsibility of concerned intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, to promptly take necessary action under the IT Rules, 2021 by not allowing any user to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any unlawful or false information,” the advisory said.

“Further, the exemption from liability for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by social media intermediaries as provided under section 79 of the IT Act shall not apply if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations as prescribed under the IT Act read with IT Rules, 2021 or abetted or aided, in the commission of the unlawful act," the advisory said.