The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers directed all three tiers of government on Thursday not to use mobile applications to scan official documents, citing concerns over digital security and data confidentiality.
In a circular issued by its Information Technology Division, the OPMCM said the directive was introduced to strengthen the protection of official records and reduce the risk of sensitive government information being exposed through third-party digital platforms.
The circular said using commercially available mobile scanning applications including CamScanner, could pose security risks because scanned documents may be transmitted to and stored on foreign servers. It warned that this could expose sensitive state information including policy decisions, confidential remarks and classified documents, through digital channels, creating a serious national security risk.
The OPMCM said ensuring the confidentiality and secure archiving of official government documents is the responsibility of every government office and public official.
It added that the growing practice of using mobile phone cameras and scanning applications to capture documents for official correspondence, decisions and record-keeping has increased the risk of sensitive information falling into unauthorised hands.
According to Dipa Dahal, Press and Research Advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, scanning official government documents using mobile applications leaves national security and data confidentiality vulnerable.
The official said most mobile scanning applications have direct access to users’ data, with no assurance over where that information is stored or how it is secured.
Allowing sensitive state documents to leave official systems through such digital platforms constitutes a serious breach of data privacy and confidentiality, the official said, adding that the directive should be viewed not only as a technical safeguard but also as a measure to protect national security.
