Email policy warns State government employees against derogatory language

Email policy warns State government employees against derogatory language

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 09.11.2024 

The email policy for Tamil Nadu government employees, unveiled recently, warns against emails containing language derogatory to religion, caste and ethnicity, and those containing anti-national messages and obscene material. It also prohibits the sharing of passwords.

About 1.10 lakh people are using the official email services of the Tamil Nadu government.

While the user is held responsible for any data/e-mail that is transmitted using the Tamil Nadu government e-mail service, “all emails/data sent through the email server are the sole responsibility of the user owning the account”. The policy is also against emails that are personal in nature (such as personal functions).

It also advocates the use of ‘reply all’ and ‘distribution lists’ with caution to reduce the risk of sending emails to the wrong people. Backup of important emails/data is to be undertaken by the user at regular intervals, it says.

The policy specifies certain scenarios as “inappropriate use of services”. They include the distribution of emails anonymously, use of other officers’ user IDs or a false identity, and exchange of information in violation of laws, including copyright laws.

“Wilful transmission of an email containing a computer virus, misrepresentation of the identity of the sender of an email and the use or attempt to use the accounts of others without their permission” have also been specified as inappropriate use of services. Such actions might result in deactivation of the account. “The email solution shall be basic in nature, based on open-source tools in combination with necessary proprietary components to ensure security of the platform from cyber threats. GoTN e-Mail service will be provided over secure channels only,” it said. The G.O. with the new email policy was issued in September.

The email services are to be hosted by ELCOT, without compromising on the required features and security. The email solution is offered free of cost to government officials, and the expenditure would be borne by TNeGA. The minimum space for the mailbox of senior officials, including secretaries and heads of departments, is 2 GB, and for tappal assistants, it is 10 GB.