Delhi Police tighten social media watch ahead of BRICS 2026 summit

Delhi Police have expanded their monitoring of social media platforms in the run-up to the BRICS Summit, deploying specialised units to scan publicly visible content for security threats, misinformation and material that could affect law and order.

Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia, who heads the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, said the force was maintaining a close watch on social media and had put systems in place to prevent potential cyber mishaps during the summit.

The monitoring is handled by a dedicated Social Media Cell at police headquarters along with specialised units such as the IFSO. Software tools scan public posts, captions and comments on platforms including X, Instagram and Facebook, using selected keywords and hashtags.

These keywords act as an early-warning mechanism. Officials said the focus areas include content related to protests, communal tension, threats, illegal activities, the glorification of weapons, abusive or threatening remarks against public figures or institutions, and misinformation, fake news or manipulated content.

The exercise goes beyond locating individual posts. Digital monitoring tools and open-source intelligence techniques are used to spot patterns, such as clusters of accounts repeatedly discussing or promoting illegal activity. When an account is flagged, personnel can examine its publicly available followers, following lists, likes, tagged locations and other interactions to trace links with accounts posting similar content or showing possible connections to criminal activity.

Flagged content is assessed by monitoring teams for its context and possible legal or security implications. The police then issue takedown notices to platforms seeking removal of unlawful content, or request information about accounts. Posts amounting to offences such as criminal intimidation, incitement or hate speech can lead to the registration of an FIR and further investigation.

An official said the emphasis on social media surveillance and what the police describe as cyber warfare has grown considerably since a student protest by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in July. The force is also working to ensure its own official information reaches users more effectively, rather than letting the digital conversation around major incidents be dominated by hostile or misleading content.

This involves coordinating with technology platforms and using established mechanisms for official accounts and verified public information to improve the visibility and distribution of police advisories, clarifications and public-safety messages. The aim, the official said, is to ensure that verified information appears prominently when users search for or encounter content relating to a particular incident or issue.