Unregistered SIMs : A threat to security

The recent decision by the government to crack down on the unregistered mobile SIMs is a welcome move. Indiscriminate sale of mobile SIMs gave rise to undesired nuisance in the society and became a security concern for common people. It is often reported in media, how criminals use unregistered SIMs to exhort money and ransom. Mobile phones have become a tool for the criminals who take advantage of unregistered SIMs and operate their unholy missions and get away with them. The law enforcing agencies can not apprehend and locate them, not to speak of arresting and bringing them to justice. Things would have been easier had these SIMs been registered properly with name sand address of the users. Nowadays, we see that the miscreants use high tech methods and remain safe from the attention of the law enforcers. The government is also contemplating to reduce the cost of internet so that it can be accessible for all. It is a paradoxical situation, where the government can not close its doors to technology and can not also prevent people from using the same on the other. The government therefore should tread carefully and formulate necessary laws in such a manner that people can reap benefit from modern technology and at the same time the criminals can be kept away from abusing the same. Bangladesh has a huge potential and we can transform our society through greater and better use of technology.
Rumana Sharmeen
Dhaka University