For a nation with digital ambitions such as ours, it is extremely disappointing that Bangladesh does not possess a holistic framework when it comes to the handling, collection, and dissemination of data neither for government nor private entities.
As a reflection of this failure, Bangladesh has ranked 61 out of 68 countries and the European Union in a global ranking of data governance, where Bangladesh scored less both than India and Pakistan.
According to the report, Bangladesh lacks personal data protection laws, open data laws for the release of government information, and laws allowing the right of data portability. The government has also failed to provide a data ethics framework to guide public servants in using and collecting data for government use appropriately -- something that becomes a point of contention when one thinks about the huge number of DSA cases that have been filed in recent years and questions surround the collection of such data.
The administration has also failed to regulate how private and non-governmental entities can share the data they have gathered in different contexts. The digital economy thrives on data, and if laws are not enacted, none of our data is safe. As such, the government’s inability to do something about this is extremely disappointing.
This cannot be the status quo for much longer.
The authorities need to enact framework regarding every facet of data. The authorities also need to periodically review this policy and sit down with relevant stakeholders to review the effectiveness of such a framework and make amendments when necessary.
If the promise of a truly Digital Bangladesh is to become a reality, playing fast and loose with data will only further hold us back.