While the government's commitment towards building a Digital Bangladesh has indeed proven unwavering over the years, the utter silence in acknowledging one key aspect of our increased digitalization is nothing if not concerning.
We are, of course, talking about laws relating to one's data, specifically pertaining to its privacy.
To that end, a number of concerning developments have taken place recently which not only expose a severe misunderstanding of data laws by the administration but also point towards the possibility of even further draconian laws in the vein of the Digital Security Act (DSA).
The home minister's recent announcement of an “Integrated Lawful Interception System,” an initiative that seeks to monitor social media in order to foil anti-state and anti-government activities, is certainly deserving of criticism.
As it stands, the DSA already exists as an incredibly draconian set of laws which not only stifle the power of the free press but also has been proven in its capacity for abuse -- it was only about two years ago when journalists Tanvir Hasan Tanu, Rahim Shuvo, and Abdul Latif Litu were slapped with the DSA for reporting alleged irregularities regarding food allocation for Covid-19 patients at a hospital.
While we understand the often destructive nature of social media -- especially given how a mere Facebook post is often enough to incite communal violence in our country -- instead of targetting specific users, the government should seek to hold social media platforms accountable for their lack of any localized moderation of content instead.
However, a far more troubling development lies in the recent report of Israeli spying technologies being sold to Bangladesh in secret. Despite the lack of any bilateral relations with Israel -- a nation whose very sovereignty Bangladesh does not acknowledge -- export records show, in a report published by Haaretz, that a SpearHead surveillance system was delivered to Dhaka in June 2022.
If there is even the slightest bit of merit to this report, the administration needs to be transparent about it.
When it comes to data governance, Bangladesh has quite a long way to go, despite all the progress we've made in terms of digitalizing every aspect of our lives. But it is because of that very reason why we need to double down on factors such as data laws and right to privacy -- otherwise, we run the risk of becoming a surveillance state.
And that is a reality we hope does not come to pass.
