On September 2, 2024, the Intelligence Bureau of India said that a fake pornographic letter was doing the rounds on the internet that was not from them. Normally discreetly quiet IB has been forced to use social media to deny ever issuing such a document with outlandish claims, reiterating that it was not from any official or authorized source.
This fake letter, which has been in circulation since late August 2024, contains explicit language and misleading information and has been falsely ascribed to the IB.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the official handle ‘PIB Fact Check’, has also contradicted the letter. "Received a similar email related to a court order against your internet IP traffic ⁉️ ⚠️Be cautious #PIBFactCheck▶️This email is #Fake
We want to assure the public that the letter is not genuine and does not represent any communication from the Intelligence Bureau," an IB spokesperson was further quoted as saying by Times of India. The agency is working diligently to trace the roots of the forged letter and prevent further dissemination.
An IBM report quotes that there has been a 71% year-over-year increase in cyberattacks that used stolen or compromised credentials. It points to the bigger picture of cybersecurity and misinformation that happens to people in the modern-day digital era. With such information spreading so fast, authorities ask for public vigilance on the legitimacy of such communication before sharing or reacting to the same. The IB takes its cues from a larger initiative to fight the digital menace and retain people's trust.
The IB has constantly upgraded its mechanisms against cyber threats and misinformation. It takes consultations from experts in cybersecurity and technology companies for better digital security and public awareness. This astute response of debunking the rumor by the agency is going to prevent such incidents from happening again and will result in proper and reliable information delivery to the citizens.