Not mere regulation, rather financial prosperity will come thru’ data protection law: Palak
Not mere regulation rather the Data Protection Act 2022 will be framed keeping security in mind at its highest. For this reason, Law Minister Anisul Haque suggested taking the suggestions of stakeholders and include those in the bill. And after asking the participants for their opinion on the draft law, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that 'this law will protect the sovereignty of data and bring prosperity to the national economy'. On the other hand, TIB head Iftekharuzzaman asked for an autonomous structure, free from government control to implement the law independently.
This is what the speakers highlighted in the public meeting with stakeholders held on 'Data Protection Act 2022' at a hotel in the capital on Sunday.
In response to media workers' questions, Law Minister Anisul Haque said that, two or three more consultation meetings will be arranged by next September. Then this 'Data Protection Act 2022' will be presented as a law before Parliament in December. Various consultative meetings are being held to make the Data Protection Act universal and fit the people of Bangladesh to properly face the changing world through this Act.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak presided over the event while Law Ministry Secretary Md. Moinul Kabir was present as a special guest.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, "We are not controlling, we are doing it for the protection of citizen's data. More work will be done on the localization of data in a global context, identification of financial data and cross-border data. That's why we invite data scientists, journalists and other stakeholders.”
He also said that 2-3 more consultation meetings will be held on this law in the months of July and August and by accepting the reasonable recommendations that have emerged through these consultation meetings, a law will be made which is good for all and acceptable to all. Through this law, the security and freedom of information of every citizen of Bangladesh, every institution and the state will be ensured.
In response to a question, the state minister said, the protection of the state and the arbitrary use of information by the trade will be prevented. Harnessing the power of data will also pave the way for its commercial use. It will be possible to bring multinational organizations like Facebook, Twitter under the law. Billions of dollars in revenue will also be created through data analytics and innovation.
Palak also said, 'Now data is called the new resource. The more information they have, the richer they are. Because they can make new decisions by researching that data. Able to produce new products. It is now becoming a trillion dollar market.'
"Various companies are taking our data with free services. That's why we need to make data protection law” - added Palak.
In the words of the State Minister, 'If this law is passed, we will be able to use our data commercially. Then we will be able to compel national and international organizations to use this information subject to permission.'
In his welcome speech, ICT Department Senior Secretary Niaz Mohammad Zeaul Alam said that after the publication of the draft Data Protection Act 2022 on the website of the ICT Division on March 24, many suggestions have come throught the country as well as abroad.
Legal expert and former senior secretary Md. Shahidul Haque presented the draft law in the participants' meeting. At the time, he said that this draft has been prepared with the advice of 19 institutions. Taking the global context into account, the draft bill has been arranged in 69 sections in 14 chapters emphasizing the sovereignty of information in the global village. Because we believe data is our property. Therefore international standards including GDPR are followed in data storage and security.
Foreign Secretary Masood bin Momen, who moderated the open discussion on the draft law, said that identity theft, data theft etc. have become important in the present time. Therefore, protection of data sovereignty and personal and commercial privacy is the need of the hour. And so, the GDPR is followed.
Banglalink representative Abdul Momen Khan, United Nations representative Yohan Sun, European Union representative, MasterCard CEO Syed Kamal, FICCI representative Alauddin Ahmed, Dhaka University Professor Ranoda Prasad Saha, TIB chief Iftekharuzzaman, ATCO senior Vice President Mozammel Babu also participated in the discussion.
The participants demanded that the data protection law 2022 also prioritizes the interests of multinational organizations in cross-border data exchange, along with the protection of personal and sensitive and state-sensitive data of citizens. They also gave some suggestions.
Tarek M. Barkatullah, director of BGD IGOV Cert, said that discussions with the European Union and the ASEAN countries have been continued in terms of data inter-operability and cross-border data transfer.
ISPAB President Imdadul Haque, General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, BACCO President Waheed Sharif, BCS President Subatra Sarkar, AMTOB Secretary General Brigadier General (Retd) SM Farhad and others were present in the discussion meeting.
In response to media workers' questions, Law Minister Anisul Haque said that, two or three more consultation meetings will be arranged by next September. Then this 'Data Protection Act 2022' will be presented as a law before Parliament in December. Various consultative meetings are being held to make the Data Protection Act universal and fit the people of Bangladesh to properly face the changing world through this Act.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak presided over the event while Law Ministry Secretary Md. Moinul Kabir was present as a special guest.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, "We are not controlling, we are doing it for the protection of citizen's data. More work will be done on the localization of data in a global context, identification of financial data and cross-border data. That's why we invite data scientists, journalists and other stakeholders.”
He also said that 2-3 more consultation meetings will be held on this law in the months of July and August and by accepting the reasonable recommendations that have emerged through these consultation meetings, a law will be made which is good for all and acceptable to all. Through this law, the security and freedom of information of every citizen of Bangladesh, every institution and the state will be ensured.
In response to a question, the state minister said, the protection of the state and the arbitrary use of information by the trade will be prevented. Harnessing the power of data will also pave the way for its commercial use. It will be possible to bring multinational organizations like Facebook, Twitter under the law. Billions of dollars in revenue will also be created through data analytics and innovation.
Palak also said, 'Now data is called the new resource. The more information they have, the richer they are. Because they can make new decisions by researching that data. Able to produce new products. It is now becoming a trillion dollar market.'
"Various companies are taking our data with free services. That's why we need to make data protection law” - added Palak.
In the words of the State Minister, 'If this law is passed, we will be able to use our data commercially. Then we will be able to compel national and international organizations to use this information subject to permission.'
In his welcome speech, ICT Department Senior Secretary Niaz Mohammad Zeaul Alam said that after the publication of the draft Data Protection Act 2022 on the website of the ICT Division on March 24, many suggestions have come throught the country as well as abroad.
Legal expert and former senior secretary Md. Shahidul Haque presented the draft law in the participants' meeting. At the time, he said that this draft has been prepared with the advice of 19 institutions. Taking the global context into account, the draft bill has been arranged in 69 sections in 14 chapters emphasizing the sovereignty of information in the global village. Because we believe data is our property. Therefore international standards including GDPR are followed in data storage and security.
Foreign Secretary Masood bin Momen, who moderated the open discussion on the draft law, said that identity theft, data theft etc. have become important in the present time. Therefore, protection of data sovereignty and personal and commercial privacy is the need of the hour. And so, the GDPR is followed.
Banglalink representative Abdul Momen Khan, United Nations representative Yohan Sun, European Union representative, MasterCard CEO Syed Kamal, FICCI representative Alauddin Ahmed, Dhaka University Professor Ranoda Prasad Saha, TIB chief Iftekharuzzaman, ATCO senior Vice President Mozammel Babu also participated in the discussion.
The participants demanded that the data protection law 2022 also prioritizes the interests of multinational organizations in cross-border data exchange, along with the protection of personal and sensitive and state-sensitive data of citizens. They also gave some suggestions.
Tarek M. Barkatullah, director of BGD IGOV Cert, said that discussions with the European Union and the ASEAN countries have been continued in terms of data inter-operability and cross-border data transfer.
ISPAB President Imdadul Haque, General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, BACCO President Waheed Sharif, BCS President Subatra Sarkar, AMTOB Secretary General Brigadier General (Retd) SM Farhad and others were present in the discussion meeting. 
