“We don´t have any policy to bar our officials from joining social networking sites and NA is not planning to come with such directives anytime soon,” said NA Spokesperson Ramindra Chhettri. He, however, added that the officials must stick to work ethics and will not be allowed to use such sites during office hours. [break]
According to reports, the Indian Army has recently directed its officials to immediately quit social networking sites, and warned others against joining such sites. “The army feared officers could be lured into inadvertently leaking classified information on these websites by those who might seek to trap them for espionage through “honeytraps” and other methods,” states The Asian Age.
Prior to the ban, the Indian Army had ordered its 1.13 million officials -- both officers and other ranks -- not to post anything that divulges their affiliation with the institution and harm institutional integrity.
But given the sensitivity of Indian security, the army finally banned its officials and ranks from connecting to the sites.
There are media reports that the US military is also strongly considering a “near-total ban” on Twitter, Facebook and other networking sites.
Chhetri said army personnel, however, will not be allowed to post anything that may harm professional integrity of the institution.
According to him, the army officials have been prohibited from posting their pictures in fatigues and with weapons. Similarly, they can´t post anything that reveals information about the institution or show their affiliation with the institution.
The NA officials can use the social networking sites only for their personal purpose but not for any professional cause,” Chhetri told Republica.
A notable number of the NA officials have been found using social networking sites, especially Facebook. “We will take strong action against those found uploading picture with uniform and weapons, or disclosing official information.”
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