Army spells out new rules for personnel using social media

After finding itself at the receiving end of several malicious campaigns in the social media, the Army on Thursday spelt out the dos and don'ts for its personnel who use these platforms.

Though the policy was made sometime ago, the Army brought it in the public domain on Thursday asserting that being on the social media is purely a personal choice and under no circumstances the personnel will disclose details like rank, unit, formation, appointment, place of duty and movement on social networking sites.

Operational and administrative matters, including issues that affect the image of not only the Army but also the armed forces, Defence Ministry and the government should not be discussed.

Photos in uniform or background depicting Army installations and equipment must be avoided, the policy posted on the Army's Facebook page stated. Online participation in polling, campaigns related to the armed forces or government are prohibited.

Furthermore, the policy says Army personnel must not create or be a member of groups depicting religious sects, political groups, foreign military networks and hate groups. They are also barred from circulating chain mails, messages and posts on the armed forces.

With several false WhatsApp messages on Army activities doing the rounds, the policy cautions the serving officers as well as veterans to verify the facts mentioned in those messages before accepting the content as truth.

They are also expected to behave more responsibly while forwarding mails affecting the image of the Army.