Data from the Election Commission has been transferred elsewhere. This information was disclosed by Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the conference room on the fifth floor of the ICT Tower in Agargaon, Dhaka. According to him, global standards will guide the decentralization of citizen data, which will be brought under central management.
At an urgent press conference on the ownership of the National ID (NID), chaired by ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury, he discussed how national identity information is preserved in a global context. He also mentioned that, for the time being, the ICT division is coordinating among the databases of five ministries. However, for the development of the data economy, the ICT division will focus more on the quality of data rather than its quantity. The interim government has formulated a plan to establish a Sovereign Data Management Authority and adopt AI and blockchain technologies to secure both citizen and state data.
When asked about when this Data Authority might be established and what its structure would be, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb responded, “We are currently thinking and planning. It will require constitutional power and will function as a regulatory authority. It will not fall under any ministry. Before we proceed with the Personal Data Protection Act, we must first resolve the issue of the Data Authority.”
He further explained, "Rather than hiding problems under the carpet, we aim to create a National Data Authority without creating fragmented islands. We are working to create interactivity in the information highway or the sea. In 93 countries, local government ministries manage database systems. Given this, since the information under the Election Commission is not fully utilized in their work, for now, the data will remain with the respective entities. Later, it will be brought under central data management, working to meet global standards. No one will lose their job. On the contrary, more employment opportunities will be created.”
Faiz revealed that in 2007, with direct and technical support from the Bangladesh Army, the Election Commission developed the NID. Currently, this database contains 35 types of information. Additionally, birth and death registration is managed by the BDRS, while marriage and divorce data is handled by the CRVS. Now, this information has been leaked on the dark web. Similar incidents have occurred in other countries. To tackle this, the European Union and various countries have established different models, connecting silos. “We too are working on a similar model. However, since there is no personal data protection law in the country, the interim government is paving the way for transformation. They have initiated the establishment of a legal framework necessary for building a digital foundation. As part of this, a draft of this law will be published at the end of this month. At the same time, interactivity between silos is being established, and an independent Data Authority is being set up as a national asset.”
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb assured that even if the ownership of data changes, no one will lose their job. He emphasized, “I want to guarantee that after the formation of the Data Authority, none of the IT personnel in any of Bangladesh's ministries or agencies will lose their jobs. No one’s authority will be diminished. Rather, through this, each system will be further strengthened. The rights of other ministries to access data will be safeguarded here.”
He mentioned that nearly five crore people's data from Bangladesh is being traded on the dark web, including bank statements and driving licenses. In such circumstances, ensuring data security is crucial, as foreign investment will not be possible without it. To address this, the government is planning to create a ‘Data Authority.’
"This Data Authority will act as a guardian, connecting the data structures of all ministries and departments. Currently, the Election Commission provides data to many organizations, but they do not have the capacity to monitor if any data is being stolen. Engineers of the National Data Authority will work continuously to ensure data security," he added.
Faiz pointed out that due to the lack of a proper data security framework, many types of financial services are not possible in the country. "Currently, people provide different information to banks and hospitals. If a person gives information in 17 different places, 17 different sets of data emerge."
He further stated, "Without address verification, financial services like PayPal are hesitant to enter the country. That is why we need to integrate into a unified data highway, where this authority will maintain order. Data will remain under the ownership of whoever needs it."
