Social media is a security threat: Expert

BANGALORE: Social networking sites are a threat to national security as they are used as tools for drug trafficking, money laundering and match-fixing, said N Balakrishnan, associate director of Indian Institute of Science.

Speaking at the inauguration of a national conference on cyber space security on Friday, he felt social networking sites are also used to spark communal tension. When such messages turn viral, they can harm the nation's social fabric, he said.

Citing last year's Northeast exodus when false messages were spread using fake IDs, triggering panic, he said automated machines can send thousands of tweets without human intervention.

Balakrishnan alleged that China is taking advantage of botnets in its anti-India campaign. Botnets are networks of malicious software that are used to control computers without the owners' knowledge.