Army sounds alert on its personnel joining open-ended WhatsApp groups

Sounding a word of caution, the Army has asked its personnel not to join any WhatsApp group where the identity of individuals is not known, sources said.

The advisory was issued keeping in view the threats from such groups where Army personnel could be targeted for getting secret information, they said.

"People tend to join different groups. For instance, a school or college group where there could be many participants. One never knows if any participant could be vying for information. There could be someone observing the personnel," the sources said.

One-to-one communication is the safest mode of communication, they said.

The Army also said that the personnel could be targeted through malware on such social messaging platforms.

The force already has a social media policy in place where personnel are asked not to share any information about Army operations or their posting.