NEW DELHI: With hoax bomb threats against airlines continuing unabated, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory directing social media platforms to promptly remove such misinformation and refrain from hosting similar content.Stating that such hoax bomb threats pose a potential threat to public order and state security, the ministry warned that intermediaries, including social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Telegram, and other apps that fail to exercise due diligence will be liable for action under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.As part of their due diligence obligations, it is the responsibility of concerned intermediaries, including social media platforms, to promptly take necessary action by not allowing any user to host, display, publish, store, update, or share any unlawful or false information, the advisory said.Over 275 Indian carrier flights received bomb threats in 12 days, mostly via social media. On Saturday, at least 10 hotels in Gujarat’s Rajkot received hoax bomb threats. And a 25-year-old man based in Delhi was arrested for allegedly posting threatening messages to a flight.The ministry also directed intermediaries to provide information or assistance to government prove agencies within 72 hours. Citing IT Rules 2021, it said it is mandatory for the intermediaries to provide information under their control or extend assistance to the government probe agencies or cyber security activities for verification of identity, or for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of such elements as soon as possible but not later than 72 hours.
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