2 days ago
India Says Pakistan-Linked Groups Use Porn Chats, Encrypted Apps
Indian security agencies say some Pakistan-linked terror groups are trying new ways to communicate secretly.
They reportedly use chat features on pornography and dating websites and apps.
These chats can look like tools for meeting people nearby.
The agencies say handlers use them to contact recruits and coordinate activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Other reported tools include Tor-based apps such as Coatex and Conion.
Tor sends internet traffic through several encrypted relay computers, making its source harder to identify.
Some privacy-focused apps reportedly work without a phone number or SIM card.
VPNs and encryption can make investigations more difficult.
Tor and similar privacy tools also have lawful uses, such as protecting privacy and avoiding censorship.
Indian security agencies say Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan-backed terror networks are using porn-site chats and encrypted apps to contact recruits and coordinate activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The reported shift moves communications away from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Signal after authorities disrupted the misuse of online gaming platforms.
Officials say VPN-accessed pornography platforms use real-time chat features, while Tor-based applications such as Coatex and Conion help obscure users’ identities and locations.
Agencies are also monitoring foreign-based and privacy-focused services, including Vietnam-based apps and Moonchat, some of which reportedly use PGP encryption or do not require a SIM card or phone number.
The National Investigation Agency reportedly found more than 40 foreign-generated virtual SIM cards linked to the 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel.
- Who
- Indian security agencies say Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan-backed terror networks are involved.
- What
- The networks are reportedly using porn-site chats, encrypted apps, Tor-based services, VPNs and virtual SIM cards for recruitment, communication and coordination.
- Where
- The reported activity targets recruits and operatives in Jammu and Kashmir, using services and relay nodes based across multiple countries.
- When
- The newly reported tactic was recently identified; the articles also cite virtual SIM-card use uncovered during the investigation of the 2019 Pulwama attack.
- Why
- Officials say the networks are trying to evade surveillance, conceal identities and locations, and maintain communication after crackdowns on conventional channels.
Security agencies’ concerns
Privacy and legitimate uses
Use of anonymous communications
Security agencies’ concerns
Indian officials say terror networks and their handlers are exploiting encrypted and anonymous platforms to evade detection, recruit operatives and coordinate activities.
Privacy and legitimate uses
The articles note that Tor and privacy technologies are also used legitimately for privacy protection and to circumvent censorship.
Registration without phone numbers
Security agencies’ concerns
Agencies say communications that do not require SIM cards, phone numbers or conventional registration make attribution and investigation more difficult.
Privacy and legitimate uses
The reported features can protect users from exposing personal information; the articles do not include a specific response from the platforms.
VPN access to restricted services
Security agencies’ concerns
Officials say VPN access to platforms banned in India can hide internet addresses and help terror handlers mask their digital footprints.
Privacy and legitimate uses
The articles describe VPNs and privacy tools as technologies with lawful privacy uses, but do not present a separate defense of accessing banned services.
Key facts
- Reported groups
- Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan-backed terror networks
- Reported target area
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Reported communication tools
- Pornography and dating-platform chats, encrypted messaging apps, Tor-based applications and anonymous services
- Tor-based applications
- Coatex and Conion
- Other platforms
- Moonchat, Vietnam-based applications and a France-based privacy-focused app
- Anonymity features
- VPNs, Tor routing, end-to-end encryption, PGP encryption, self-destructing messages and registration without a SIM card or phone number
- Earlier virtual SIM finding
- The National Investigation Agency reportedly linked more than 40 foreign-generated virtual SIM cards to the 2019 Pulwama attack
Quotes
A senior security force officer
A security force officer discussing the alleged evasion methods.
“By using platforms that are banned in India and accessed illegally through VPNs, terror handlers are masking their digital footprints and evading surveillance on mainstream social media.”
NDTV
“This is a new low in Pak-sponsored terrorism. They are weaponising the dark corners of the internet to trap vulnerable youth”
NDTV
Sources
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