The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued a directive instructing officials to refrain from sharing “top secret” and “secret” information over the internet. Additionally, smartphones are to be kept outside meeting rooms during discussions involving classified matters.
The State government has issued a circular addressing the increasing use of third-party platforms like WhatsApp, Gmail, and similar tools for transmitting sensitive, secret, and confidential information by officials. Highlighting the risks associated with this practice, the circular warns that such platforms are not equipped to meet the stringent security standards required for handling classified data, leaving information vulnerable to unauthorized access, data breaches, and leaks.
Read The Circular Here : J&K Handling Of Sensitive Official Communication
To safeguard information integrity, the government has outlined specific protocols for sharing sensitive data. It categorically prohibits the sharing of “Top Secret” and “Secret” documents over the internet. For “Confidential” and “Restricted” information, transmission is permitted only through networks with commercial AES 256-bit encryption.
The use of official communication channels such as government email (NIC email) and secure messaging platforms like CDAC’s Samvad or NIC’s Sandesh is strongly recommended for managing “Confidential” and “Restricted” data. Additionally, the circular emphasizes the need for departments to implement robust firewalls and maintain a white-list of IP addresses, particularly for operations conducted via the e-Office platform.