Remember the series of hoax bomb threats in October targeting the residences of prominent Tamil Nadu journalists and major media houses like The Hindu and India Today?

Over a week, several journalists (including Mani, Nakheeran Gopal, and Savukku Shankar) and major news premises were put on high alert due to emailed threats, often using VPNs and drafting content based on current political topics. While all threats were confirmed as hoax by the BDDS, this pattern—which included over 600 threats in eight months against various public figures—highlights an escalating digital threat level against the media. The threats, sometimes falsely claiming RDX devices and using political group aliases, strain police resources and serve as a severe form of intimidation and harassment against those reporting the news.

 A senior police officer noted that the emails have a pattern: they are often based on the “current political topic and it will have names of people who are newsmakers.” This suggests the intent is targeted political intimidation of the press.

 “In the era of untraceable digital threats (VPNs, hoax emails), how can media professionals and law enforcement effectively counter this new, low-risk, high-impact form of digital intimidation aimed at chilling press freedom?”