The army has issued guidelines to its officers and personnel, warning them against excessive use of social networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

The caution comes against the backdrop of some officers and soldiers being honey-trapped by foreign agencies and inadvertently leaking sensitive information, sources said on Saturday.

An army official said intelligence agencies had warned government departments of “honey traps” being set up by foreign agencies to target officers engaged in dealing with sensitive information on national security.

The guidelines from the army also warn officers and soldiers not to use photos in uniform as profile pictures on social networking platforms and reveal their rank, unit name and location or anything related to their work.

“The directive has been issued to limit their online presence as part of the cyber security norms. In the past we have seen how some officers and soldiers were honey-trapped by foreign agencies and inadvertently leaked sensitive information,” said an army official.

“Similar directives were issued in the past too but we have found that it is not being followed strictly. Action will be taken against those violating the guidelines,” he said.

There is no ban, the official said, on the use of social media but the instructions are meant to make them aware of the pitfalls of the excessive use of these platforms.

“Officers and soldiers have been asked not to circulate any information through social media. Official communications are being circulated on WhatsApp and there is a possibility of information being leaked. They have been asked not to forward or store sensitive data on their electronic devices and also not to open unknown emails and suspicious websites,” the official said.

Foreign intelligence agencies are suspected to be using women to trap Indian officers through social media. The women, who mostly operate on porn sites, trap vulnerable officers and indulge in sex chats and later start blackmailing officers in lieu of classified information.

According to records available with the Union home ministry, over 20 serving and retired defence personnel had been arrested for allegedly spying for the ISI or being part of its espionage racket over the past six years.