The French security researcher who goes by the online handle Elliot Alderson put out a Twitter thread explaining how the #BoycottSurfExcel and #SurfExcel were used by the BJP IT cell as a ‘weapon of disinformation.’

The hashtag appeared after Surf Excel came out with an ad featuring a girl challenging her neighbourhood friends to splash her with colours on Holi, so that she can protect her friend – a Muslim boy – who has to go to the mosque for prayers. The ad aimed at promoting communal harmony, received backlash on social media for allegedly portraying Holi colours as ‘daag’ and promoting ‘love jihad’.