The personal data of millions of Bangladeshis are no more secure. Whether the authorities responsible for keeping the data protected acknowledge it or not is immaterial. A bulk of data, preserved with the Registrar General's office, birth and death registration information system (BDRIS), was hacked in July this year. Now, data kept with the Smart National Identity Card (NID) system of the National Election Commission (EC) is readily available with a Telegram channel. It means private data like the name of an individual along with names of their father, mother and spouse; date of birth, religion, gender, phone number, present and permanent addresses; and photographs are available to a third party illegally. The third party now has a databank of millions of Bangladeshi citizens from which various quarters could easily access the data.
These two sensitive breaches of millions of citizens' private data are a matter of grave concern. These data can be used to identify various individuals and exploited for identity theft to generate false identities. Later, the data thieves use the false identities for various criminal and fraudulent activities. In Bangladesh, several incidents have already been unveiled in the media, although these are only the 'tip of the iceberg'.
The breaches or leaks of millions of private data clearly show that the country's data protection system is weak and vulnerable. From the beginning of data collection to data accumulation, there are flaws at every step. In the name of national security and state necessity, various government agencies are engaged to protect private data of the citizens. During the last couple of years, the law enforcement agency, police to be precise, regularly collects information on residents and tenants in Dhaka and many other parts of the country. Thus, the police have accumulated a large amount of data on citizens. How secure the data are a big question now. The passport office also has extensive data on citizens, including biometric ones. The tax authorities, health department, education ministry, central bank and some other bodies also store citizens' personal data.
As these data are preserved electronically, thanks to the rapid advancement of information and communication technology (ICT), it is easy to process. At the same time, it is also easy to access without any authorisation, provided that the protection system is weak and backdated. A lack of coordination among the agencies concerned and their careless attitudes have been responsible for data exposure. Though experts have repeatedly urged to ensure utmost caution in the gathering process, there is no way to be certain whether the government bodies and agencies pay necessary heed.
Over the decades, data theft has become a global concern as many individuals face the problem. Their data have been severely compromised as they are now exposed to various organisations ranging from social media platforms to state agencies.
Bangladesh is also at risk. The proliferation of smartphones and the use of various mobile applications already put millions of users at risk of compromising privacy. Without knowing, every day, they are sharing their data with others. The theft of data also becomes a big business.
So, in the 'crazy world' of the internet and online, it is tough to protect users' data. Nevertheless, utmost caution is now necessary to reduce the risk of unauthorised private data sharing. The government and its agencies have to step up their vigilance. Data breach already taken place may end up causing grave harms and further exposure will invite disaster of monumental scale.
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