Team Herald
PANJIM: Herald Publications has filed a complaint of theft of digital assets which includes internal emails, internal office correspondence and other privileged communication.
The complaint was filed on July 18 at the Cyber Cell of Goa Police urging the authorities to take immediate action. Superintendent of Police Crime Branch Karthik Kashyap (IPS) said that Cyber Cell has received the complaint and is inquiring into it.
In the complaint Herald Publications said that it came across a post on social media (Facebook) which had a screen shot of an internal mail purportedly sent by Adwait Dessai (AGM Sales) to the team of Café Herald’s feature pullout. The purported mail, uploaded by one Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, on his Facebook wall, was titled ‘Ground rules for commercial coverage’.
Herald management has apprehended that the said data posted on the social media has been either hacked or stolen thus amounting to theft. The complainant, the EDP Engineer of Herald Publications, has stated that internal mail/internal office correspondence are privileged communications of Herald Publications and its group.
Cyber Cell has been informed that the same data posted on the social media cannot be subjected to public domain.
The complaint has also said that the said stolen data, which is not restricted to the screenshot of the purported email mentioned in the complaint, can be misused to malign the image of the publication by altering and manipulating facts.
Herald maintains that this stolen data cannot be subjected to public domain and apprehends that will be tampered, corrupted and misused to the detriment of Herald Publications and/or the authors/writers of all privileged communication.
The complainant has said the person who has used this stolen or hacked internal data is required to be questioned as to the manner in which he has obtained privileged internal communication, which the person has used to make imputations against Herald Publications.
Herald Publications has urged the Cyber Cell to carry out a criminal investigation after registering an FIR, since the theft of internal data would amount to a commission of a cognizable offence. This should be done to prevent any further misuse of digital data of Herald Publications, which Herald has the right, duty and obligation to protect by all legal means.
