Brasilia, April 3 (RHC-NNN), -- Brazil's Ministry of Defense Wednesday began installing a secure digital communication network for federal government offices, a government source said.
 
The system, named Expresso V3, aims to protect official e-mails from the type of surveillance U.S. intelligence agencies were reported last year to have carried out on Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and her top aides.
 
The coordinator of the federal government's data processing service (Serpro), Marcos Mello, said the system uses passwords and digital markers to safeguard e-mails from snooping, as well as certifying the authenticity of the e-mail's origin.
 
The system employs "digital signatures and encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the message," he said.
 
"All the security tests were done" on the system, including "a simulated break in," Mello added.
 
Government intelligence worked on developing the software with the help of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).
 
The system, which includes such functions as instant messaging and web conferencing, is expected to be fully installed at the Defense Ministry by June 30th, and throughout federal government offices by the end of 2014.