The Indian Army recently changed its social media guidelines to allow its personnel to sign up on Instagram. As per the revised guidelines officers can only join the popular social media platform as ‘passive observers’ without putting up posts or comments on the platform, PTI reported citing sources on Thursday.
According to the PTI report, the move aims to better familiarise the Army officers with the “misinformation tactics popularly used in the digital age of information” and guard them against any potential or inadvertent leak of sensitive information.
Does the guideline apply to all officers?
“The revision in guidelines was introduced a few days ago, and applies to all ranks in the Indian Army. The revised guidelines essentially mean that Army personnel can now sign up on Instagram but only as passive observers. They can view posts, but cannot post content or comments on the platform,” a person in the defence establishment told PTI.
Can army officials like a post?
Essentially, no “user-generated content” is allowed, so even ‘liking’ a post would fall in that category, the source told PTI.
Previously, army officials were only allowed to view and passively monitor X (formerly Twitter), this move allows them access to another popular social media portal i.e. Instagram.
“The same restrictions were previously enforced by the army when they chose to let officers sign up for X, so Army personnel using X can only view posts, but cannot post, repost or comment on them,” another source told PTI.
Reason behind the change?
“The reason behind this change in guidelines is essentially that the information age is changing, and the Army cannot keep itself away from this information world,” PTI was informed by senior sources in the army.
Through social media, army leadership plans to increase the officers’ awareness of real-time developments across the country. “By accessing the platform, officers can observe and gain information, and keep themselves abreast of the happenings in and out of the country,” a source told PTI.
During an interactive session held in Delhi earlier in November as part of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had emphasised the necessity of keeping a smartphone.
“A soldier can keep in touch with his family or read e-books online, so a smartphone is a necessity today,” Gen Dwivedi had said when asked how the Army looks at Gen Z, given that they are set to play a major role in the making of a Viksit Bharat. Today’s generation is “socially conscious, digitally fluent and globally connected, Diwedi had said at the event.