SRINAGAR: The Union Home Ministry has directed the security agencies in J&K to strictly monitor social media which has emerged as a serious threat to fragile peace in Kashmir Valley.
A senior police official said that although they have been monitoring the social media, it’s being misused by some anti-social and anti-national elements in the Valley.
“The Union Home Ministry is serious about it and has directed to strictly monitor the social media,” the official said.
He said police have blocked hundreds of Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups where people had posted false information. “Now there are thousands of such pages and groups and we find it difficult to keep proper surveillance on them. But responsible citizens are helping us in identifying these pages of the rumour mongers,” he said.
He said those who are found involved in cyber-crime or posting false information are booked under the IT Act with minimum and maximum punishment of six months and two years respectively.
“Some fraudulent persons are posing themselves as journalists and have defamed the name of journalism by starting these fake pages,” the official said. Some of the most prevalent cyber attacks in Kashmir, as Common cyber crimes.
Some of the most prevalent cyber crimes in Kashmir, as per police, are related to obscene publication, banking frauds, cyber stalking, rumour mongering on WhatsApp , obscene messages on Facebook and website intrusion. er police, are related to obscene publication, transmission of unauthorized contents, credit card and banking frauds, scanning, spam, malicious code, cyber stalking, rumour mongering on Whtsapp, obscene messages on Facebook and website intrusion.
The official said cyber crime has emerged as a serious challenge and the government has been taking measures to curb it. There are two cyber labs in the state to keep monitoring on social networking sites and handling of cyber crime, but both of these labs are not fully equipped.
“People are well-trained to deal with cyber crimes but the equipment has to be modernized,” he said.
According to a survey by Assocham-Mahndra SSG conducted in 2015, cyber crimes in the country could pose serious economic and national security challenges in all states.
An official working in the cyber cell of the JK police says the increasing trend of misuse of social media in the state is same like other parts of India.
In J&K, authorities block the social networking sites on several occasions apprehending misuse of the social media that is turning law and order problem in the state the official said. He said people who misuse social media could also be booked under the IT Act or Public Safety Act.