Centre's Big Caution To Social Media Platforms Over Fake Bomb Threats

Over 275 flights have received bomb threats since last week.

The spate of fake bomb threats issued to airlines poses a threat to public order, the Centre has told social media platforms while ordering them to remove such misinformation at the earliest.

It has also warned the platforms that the exemption available to them for third-party content as intermediaries under the Information Technology Act will not apply if they don't follow their due diligence obligations or aid in committing an unlawful act. 

In an advisory sent on Friday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said air travellers and security agencies have been affected because of the hoax bomb threats, which have disrupted the normal operations of airlines.