E-migrate system for Indian Seafarers from 01 Dec 2017

A number of whatsapp forwards are in circulation regarding the implementation of the E-migrate system for Indian Seafarers, currently in use on a trial basis, which will be in full force from 01 Dec 2017.

A common error in them is regarding the option to check one's status when the company has updated the form to clear immigration. It mentions to enter the passport details under the 'Check RA' tab. RA is the Recruiting Agency. The seafarer has to check his status under 'Check E-migrate' tab where one has to enter his/her passport number and the captcha details.

There are more details in this post which explains it better.

More checking in China and seafarers scanned too

Back in early July 2017, Chinese police in Xinjiang started stopping chinese citzens and checking if they had installed a government mandated spyware 'Jingwang' on their phones. On 10th July, mobile phone users in the region had received a message stating they had 10 days to install the app and failure to do so would lead to a 10-day prison sentence.

According to the government, the app has benign functions. The main function is to block pornographic websites, online scams, trojan horses, and phishing sites; to alert users of how much time they spend online; and to enable remote control of one’s home network. The tool is intended to help kids develop a healthy lifestyle by building a safe web filter for the minors.

Though, users have noticed that the spyware also searches through your phone’s storage and checks the hashes of media files to make sure that you aren’t holding any illegal images.

Today, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA) released a notice regarding a situation wherein Immigration authorities boarded a ship in Ningbo and downloaded content from the mobile phones of the seafarers onboard.

Are the two related? The ship has being told that this is part of a nationwide anti-terrorist campaign. But the loss of privacy and whether personal data remained secure remained unanswered.