Indian censor board data breach exposes documents for more than 500 titles
Shooting scripts and cut orders lodged with India's Central Board of Film Certification were exposed, The Hindu and The Times of India reported.
A data breach at India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has exposed material from applications covering more than 500 titles, The Hindu reported. The newspaper said dozens of those titles were feature films.
According to The Hindu, the leak appears to have come from e-Cinepramaan, the online portal launched nearly a decade ago to digitise the board's work. Filmmakers send documents to the CBFC when they seek certification for their films to be screened in Indian cinemas.
The Hindu said the exposed files include detailed shooting scripts and cut orders, along with other documents submitted by filmmakers. No feature films were exposed, the newspaper said. Films are usually handled separately from the application paperwork.
The Times of India, which published its report a day later, said the leaked documents include unreleased scripts and details of censorship cuts. It also reported that private distribution agreements and licensing information had been compromised. The Hindu's report did not mention distribution or licensing material.
The Times of India said the breach had raised serious concerns in the film industry about how sensitive information submitted for certification is protected. It said the leaked details could jeopardise filmmakers' projects.
The two outlets give different accounts of how the breach came to light. The Hindu presented the exposure of the applications as the result of its own reporting. The Times of India said the CBFC itself had reported a data security issue involving confidential documents for numerous film titles.
Sources: The Hindu, Hundreds of applications exposed in censor board data breach; The Times of India, CBFC data LEAK exposes 500 films, unreleased scripts.
