Inside the Shadow War: How Social Media PsyOps Target India’s National Security
In today’s world, battles are not always fought on the ground. They are waged on screens, inside smartphones, and across timelines. India, one of the world’s most digitally connected nations, is increasingly facing a new form of aggression—psychological operations (PsyOps) executed through social media platforms.
What Are PsyOps?
Psychological Operations are strategic campaigns designed to influence, deceive, or destabilize the mindset of a population or armed forces. In the digital age, they are conducted via social platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram.
Globally, Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and China's use of TikTok to sway public opinion in Taiwan are classic examples of how PsyOps work through digital media.
India's Exposure to PsyOps
India has seen coordinated information attacks during high-tension periods:
- Kashmir unrest (2019) – Disinformation spread widely during the Article 370 abrogation.
- Balakot airstrike (2019) – Pro-Pakistani networks spread fake casualties and internal dissent claims.
- Galwan Valley clash (2020) – China-linked handles circulated fabricated videos and maps.
Much of this disinformation circulates in regional languages on WhatsApp, reaching millions in rural areas before authorities can respond.
China’s Influence Operations
China’s information strategy is broader and more coordinated. Through content farms, state media accounts, and proxy influencers, it crafts narratives that paint India as aggressive and unstable in Asia. A recent NATO StratCom report flagged coordinated Chinese messaging on border tensions and vaccine diplomacy.
Content is disseminated via YouTube videos, doctored images, and “news” websites that look legitimate but are hosted outside Indian jurisdiction.
Pakistan’s Digital PsyOps Playbook
Pakistan’s ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) has long used media as a psychological tool. Today, the same strategy is online—through coordinated bot networks, viral videos, and hashtags.
During the 2022 anti-Agnipath protests, fake Twitter/X accounts with Indian usernames amplified chaos. The Atlantic Council’s DFRLab found dozens of accounts boosting anti-India narratives within minutes of policy announcements.
Indian Response: Under the Radar
While agencies like RAW, NTRO, and DRDO are aware of these operations, India lacks a formal doctrine on information warfare. Some limited monitoring is done through PIB Fact Check, but it’s reactive and not tactical.
The Defence Cyber Agency, launched in 2019, has a role in counter-cyber ops, but open information on psychological defence strategy remains scarce.
Case Study: The #BoycottIndianArmy Hashtag Surge
During the 2023 Manipur crisis, a hashtag campaign—#BoycottIndianArmy—saw a suspicious spike. A report by Logically AI found most of the tweets originated outside India, some from coordinated botnets linked to Pakistan and fringe separatist groups.
Where It Spreads: Platforms of Influence
- WhatsApp: Most effective in Tier 2 and rural areas, due to closed-group trust.
- YouTube: Regional language channels pushing fear-mongering narratives (e.g. fake war news).
- Telegram: Increasingly used for anonymous mass-sharing of politically sensitive content.
- X (formerly Twitter): Trends manufactured with fake engagement to influence journalists and decision-makers.
Legal and Strategic Gaps
India has no formal information warfare doctrine, unlike nations like the U.S., Russia, or China. There's also limited public policy on digital data protection, surveillance ethics, and bot regulation. Cyber law updates are slow compared to the pace of influence campaigns.
The Road Ahead: What India Needs
- Develop a clear national information warfare policy.
- Invest in open-source intelligence (OSINT)
- Launch a public digital literacy program to educate citizens about disinfo campaigns.
- Encourage tech-defence collaboration between private sector and government.
Conclusion
The battlefield has shifted. India's enemies are now targeting the minds of citizens and soldiers alike. PsyOps may be silent, but their effects can shake institutions, spread unrest, and fracture trust in national security. Recognizing and countering this threat is not just about cybersecurity—it’s about national resilience.
Further Reading:
- Atlantic Council's DFRLab
- NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence
- Botometer (Fake account detection)
- SIPRI: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Timeline of Major PsyOps Targeting India (2016–2025)
This timeline highlights key digital psychological operations that have targeted India over the last decade. These events show a clear evolution from scattered fake news to sophisticated, cross-border digital warfare.
| Year | Event | Platform | Source of Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Fake news linked to demonetization panic | WhatsApp, Facebook | Domestic, unknown coordinated networks |
| 2019 | Article 370 Abrogation – Anti-India disinfo surge | X (Twitter), YouTube | Pakistan ISPR-linked accounts |
| 2020 | Galwan Clash – Chinese propaganda claims ‘no Indian soldiers died’ | Weibo, YouTube, TikTok | Chinese state-backed media and social influencers |
| 2022 | Agnipath Protests – Bot-driven anti-army trends | X (Twitter) | Pakistan-based bot farms (source) |
| 2023 | Manipur Violence – Separatist propaganda amplified via social media | Telegram, YouTube, X | External manipulation (reported by Logically AI) |
| 2025 | Speculated attacks around Indian general elections | WhatsApp, Instagram Reels, short video platforms | Under investigation – potential mix of domestic and foreign |
⚠️ Note: This table is based on open-source intelligence and OSINT reports. Attribution of disinformation campaigns often remains disputed or incomplete, due to the anonymous nature of social media manipulation.
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