A shadow war over India’s defence procurement on social media raises concerns of undue influence

A shadow war over India’s defence procurement on social media raises concerns of undue influence. A growing wave of orchestrated social media campaigns both supporting and opposing military procurement by India’s defence establishment has sparked concern among officials. According to sources within the defence and security apparatus, these campaigns are not limited to vested corporate interests. In some cases, they appear to be influenced or even directly driven by foreign governments seeking to sway India’s procurement decisions.  Officials say that the disinformation efforts aim to create confusion & doubt often causing decision makers to proceed with undue caution. This can lead to significant delays in issuing tenders or making procurement decisions. Several defence centric websites and social media accounts have been flagged