How secure is communication at DG Shipping?

We are all aware of how secure paper and paper communications are at DG Shipping's office, and its subordinate offices, in India. Nothing more needs to be said about an organisation where touts flourish openly outside their offices, and all documents are available, easily. At a price, ofcourse - though if you want them genuinely, it is another question.

But now look at the electronic communication part of things?

As a seafarer who was also the head of an infotech company, I got some youngsters to run an audit on the DG Shipping website, as well as the MMD website. What they told me was so shocking, that I do not wish to share it here - or anywhere else, except by printed hard copy to the relevant people.

But just as an example:-

# Private email addresses are happily used for official eMails, in direct contravention of all Government of India policies on the subject, by officials at DG Shipping. For example:-

"dgcommcentre@satyammail.net"

How secure is this otherwise open email address, then?

# While the website claims that the site is designed, hosted and maintained by the DGS Computer Cell, the truth and reality are otherwise - and very easily traced back to a certain private company with interests also in the maritime education field, amongst other things.What is this all about, then?

# The sanctity of question papers for the written exams is in doubt - this has often been rumoured about, and basis the above, needs an exhaustive audit. If the exam question papers are rattling around in the same servers, then??

# What is with the over reliance on Internet Explorer and MS, why is DGS not using technology which can be read open source too?

# The website is not optimised for usage on mobile phones or Mac/Apple.

# Most of all, the website layout is thoroughly confusing and the search functions do to not work well.

On the ground level, for seafarers, the "instructions" on the website as well as the forms on the website are not in concurrence with actual practice onsite in the offices. If seafarers have some queries, they are told to refer to the website - but then the actual practice is way different. Score one for the tout-babu nexus again.

Is it too much to expect a half-way decent website from DG Shipping, please?

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incidentally, this is the security of our information on the DG Website, asprovided for on their own terms and conditions, here:-

http://dgship.gov.in/privacy.html

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