The fact that two private telephone conversations could be taped and then leaked to the media raises important questions for the authorities to answer.
Amidst constant efforts to undermine and unseat the government, including almost daily acts of criminal violence that have taken scores of lives already this year, no one doubts that national security is a legitimate concern for Bangladesh.
The authorities must have the tools they need in order to maintain stability and pursue those who seek to unlawfully bring down the government or to terrorise the public.
However, by the same token, the general public also has a right to know what the rules of such engagement are and to have made clear what level of privacy and security we enjoy and what lines we can expect will not be crossed.
The government must set in place a protocol for what is an acceptable level of surveillance, and ensure that it is followed.
Everyday citizens need to have confidence that their government will not spy on them without due cause, and that the power of government surveillance will be used as sparingly as possible, and that every effort will be made to ensure that such sensitive information is not leaked to the media or other third parties.
Further, the government must assure the general public that this right will not be abused to harass or intimidate those it perceives to be its enemies or opponents, but will only be used in genuine cases of national security or public concern.
National security is a paramount concern. However, we urge the government to take every precaution in ensuring protections for the public, so that we do not cross over the line into becoming a surveillance state.
No one doubts the critical importance of national security or the government’s need to be vigilant to protect the public interest, but the dangers of too much surveillance can be just as ruinous to the health of the nation as that of too little.