"New Low": Pak Terror Groups Using Porn Sites To Recruit Operatives In J&K

Pakistan-based terror networks have found a new hideout in the dark alleys of the internet - porn sites.

Having abandoned popular encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Signal, terrorists and their Pakistan-based handlers are now exploiting real-time chat tools on pornographic and dating platforms to recruit and communicate with operatives in Jammu and Kashmir, security agencies have revealed.

Officials said the move is a calculated ploy to dodge surveillance by Indian security agencies.

"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," a senior security force officer said.

According to intelligence inputs, the modus operandi is both brazen and sophisticated. Terror operatives are using covert chat rooms on adult sites to pass instructions and remain in contact with overground workers.

Tor-based applications such as Coatex and Conion are being used extensively to conceal identities and make tracking extremely difficult. Other ultra-private applications offer end-to-end encryption, self-destructing messages and allow registration without a mobile number or SIM card, leaving virtually no digital trail.

What makes these niche apps more dangerous is that some of them function even on slow 2G and EDGE networks, making them effective in remote areas with poor connectivity.

Officials said Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, is actively promoting this shadow ecosystem to sustain its proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, after a series of crackdowns by Indian agencies on conventional terror communication channels.

"This is a new low in Pak-sponsored terrorism. They are weaponising the dark corners of the internet to trap vulnerable youth," a senior security official said.

Intelligence agencies have stepped up monitoring of VPN usage and have initiated technical countermeasures to bust these covert digital modules.