Electronic File system may have averted corporate espionage case

The case of alleged theft of confidential and sensitive documents from several government ministries could have been averted had the ambitious e-office project been implemented. Launched in 2008, the idea behind the project was to do away with the manual clearing of files, replacing this with an electronic filing system. The project aimed to convert government offices into “paperless” or “less-paper” ones within five years. Despite the National Informatics Centre developing a fully operational software almost five years ago, its use is limited.

Experts say though an electronic system might not be foolproof, but it could curtail leakages significantly. “A typical file management system allows for time stamping and activity logging, leaving an audit trail, which should desist people from unauthorised usage,” said Neel Ratan, executive director of PwC. He added perhaps, one of the primary reasons behind the hesitation in using the system was fear of leakage. “But the system doesn’t has to be necessarily based on email; it could be hosted on a network where people create, edit and approve files, but can’t copy or forward them,” he added.

The technology will also define file access privileges, determining which level of officers have access to which kind of documents and ensuring each file view or access leaves behind footprints. But for the system to work, the software has to be intuitive and easy to use, as a very complex technological solution might not find many takers among government officials. Also, the government might have to enforce it on a mandatory basis to ensure it works.

A government official admitted though the system was being adopted in bits and pieces, implementing it was a “challenge”. “It is not all that easy to adopt, as most officials are not technology-savvy. Even simple things such as typing a note might prove to be a problem,” the official said. And, only internal documents can be shared electronically, while those from outside might not be automated. “But going forward, we might have to come on this platform to address issues of leakages,” the official said.

While the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) developed the software, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) is responsible for its implementation. Reportedly, DeitY, DARPG and the state governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have experimented with the system.

Last week, it was alleged private companies had secret official documents illegally. Senior executives from top energy companies and consultants were among the several people arrested in the corporate espionage scandal.