Hoax bomb-threat calls - Govt asks Meta, X to share data: Sources

Taking hoax bomb-threat messages and calls seriously, the government has started identifying those behind the menace and asked social media platforms like Meta and X to share data on such messages, sources said.

The government has also asked top multinational technology conglomerates to cooperate with it in helping identifying those behind such hoax calls, saying this involves public good.

Top sources said the government has traced some people who were behind hoax bomb-threat calls targeting airlines and that action is being taken accordingly. The government sources did not provide any further details on where these hoax calls and messages came from and who were behind those.

"The government has told social media companies Meta and X to share data pertaining to such hoax calls and messages made on their platforms targeting several airlines and asked them to cooperate," a senior official said.

"They will have to cooperate and provide data since this involves public good at large," he said, when asked whether the social media companies are cooperating with the government or not on the issue.

Several hoax messages and calls targeting a number of airlines were received in the recent past.

An unidentified caller on Wednesday threatened to blow up the Dumna airport at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, which turned out to be a hoax, a police officer said.

On Tuesday alone, around 50 flights, including 13 each of IndiGo and Air India, received bomb threats. Akasa Air got the threats for more than 12 flights and 11 Vistara flights also received the threats, the sources said.

Around 30 flights of IndiGo, Air India and Vistara got bomb threats on Monday night, they added.

In nine days, more than 170 flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats, mostly through social media, that also forced the diversion of some international flights.