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India has warned social media platforms of 鈥榗onsequential action鈥� after hundreds of hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines this month triggered travel chaos and terror it said threatened national security.

Some threats led to planes being diverted to Canada and Germany, and fighter jets scrambled to escort aircraft in the skies above Britain and Singapore.


The government called the spread of the threats 鈥榙angerously unrestrained鈥�.

It warned social media platforms of 鈥榗onsequential action as provided under any law鈥� if they do not comply with the 鈥榩rompt removal of misinformation鈥�.

鈥楾he instances of malicious acts, in the form of hoax bomb threats to such airlines, lead to a potential threat to the public order and security of the state,鈥� it said in a statement on Saturday.

鈥楽uch hoax bomb threats, while affecting a large number of citizens, also destabilises the economic security of the country.鈥�

At least 275 bomb threats were made since mid-October, all reported to have been false, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. Other Indian media suggest it could be as high as nearly 400.

鈥楾he exemption from liability for any third party information shall not apply if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations,鈥� it added.

Civil aviation authorities have had to check every flight that has been threatened, many by messages posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The government warning did not mention any social media company by name, but cited an advisory notice from the information technology ministry.

鈥楾he scale of the spread of such hoax bomb threats has been observed to be dangerously unrestrained due to the availability of the option of 鈥榝orwarding/re-sharing/re-posting/re-tweeting鈥� on the social media platforms,鈥� the information ministry said.

It said companies must report any offences 鈥榣ikely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security or economic security鈥� of the country, and cooperate swiftly with government agencies to aid investigations.

The government on Monday said it is discussing 鈥榣egislative action鈥� to overhaul aviation and aircraft security laws, and to make those who make such threats guilty of a serious, or 鈥榗ognisable鈥�, crime with longer potential sentences.

India, the world鈥檚 biggest democracy, regularly ranks among the top five countries globally for the number of requests made by a government to remove social media content.

Last year, an Indian court hit X with a $61,000 fine after the platform unsuccessfully challenged orders to remove tweets and accounts critical of prime minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 government.