PANJIM: State government on Wednesday took down two of its official websites after it was found that the site with ‘gov.in’ domain had an external link with pornographic content. Government has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
The website of State Education Department (www.education.goa.gov.in) and Directorate of Official Languages (www.dol.goa.gov.in) were taken down this afternoon, following directions from the National Informatic Centre (NIC) headquarters, New Delhi, pointing out that the site with gov.in domain directed the visitors to an external website with pornographic content.
Speaking to HERALD, Chief Secretary Parimal Rai said that he has directed Secretary, Information Technology, to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter. “The matter needs deeper probe. I will be able to talk in detail only once inquiry is complete,” he said.
A security researcher, who goes by the name ‘Elliot Alderson’ on Tweeter, pointed this major error.
When contacted, Secretary IT Ravi Jha said that that the matter is being investigated as to how the IP addresses redirected the links to inappropriate sites. “In next two-three days we will reach to the root of the problem,” he said.
Jha informed that the State government had received a communication from National Informatic Centre (NIC) headquarters, informing that the sub-link of Aadhar, on both the websites, once clicked takes the visitors to an external website with ULR as ‘aadharcarduidai’, having inappropriate content.
“They directed us to taken down both the site and we did it accordingly,” the Secretary said.
Jha said that once the URL is corrected, both the websites would be put in place.
The websites had bottom ticker with images of several Digital India initiative. On clicking the images, the visitors are taken to respective website. But it was not in case of Aadhar.
