Now,social networking bug catches Sebi

Market watchdog Sebi seems to be the latest to catch the fancy of social networks like Twitter,Facebook and blogs for spreading its message to investors as also to snoop on discussions at these platforms as part of its investigation and oversight activities.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India Sebi is hiring specialist IT officers,whose role would include keeping track of social media platforms like Twitter and blogs for all market-related information,comments and discussions. Sebi is also toying with the idea of having its own official presence on Twitter and other social networks to strengthen its information dissemination process for investors and other market participants,a senior official said.

Another financial sector regulator,Reserve Bank of India RBI is also considering a presence on social networking platforms like Twitter. Late last year,RBI conducted a survey to know whether it should make its web interface more interactive with features like discussion forum,live chat and blogs on its website,and by having a Twitter presence.