[governance] 'Enact privacy act to protect personal information'

[Ahmed Swapan Mahmud]

FYI

This is Daily Star's report on the Roundtable Consultation on 'Privacy
Rights and Citizen's Concerns' held on 26 August 2010 in Dhaka, organized
jointly by VOICE and Privacy International. Happy reading! More soon.

Solidarity and regards,

Ahmed/www.voicebd.org

'Enact privacy act to protect personal information'
Staff Correspondent /
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=152437

Speakers at a roundtable discussion yesterday called upon the government to
enact a privacy act to protect privacy, personal information, correspondence
and means of communication of people.

They pointed out that individual privacy is a constitutional right of every
citizen and yet it is being violated at every step of everyone's life and no
one can take legal actions against such violation.

The discussion titled "Privacy rights and citizen's concerns" was organised
by VOICE in association with Privacy International at the Cirdap auditorium
in the city.

"Article 43 of the constitution says every citizen shall have the right to
privacy of his correspondence and other means of communication," said Ahmed
Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, a rights-based organisation.

Now there is no means to ensure this right to the citizens, he said.

"We get phone calls from superstores, marketing firms, and other
organisations who are not supposed to have our contact information," said
Mahmud, "and yet they have our names, phone numbers and family information--
all without our consent."

Journalist Selim Samad said phones are tapped in the name of security,
emails are scrutinised and correspondences are monitored by security
agencies.

"We even had to give our fingerprints to the state for the national identity
card. These are nothing but criminalising the society," he said.

"Only convicted criminals in the US are required to give their fingerprints
to the state," said journalist Shahidul Shuvra. "But here in Bangladesh,
every citizen is required to give their fingerprints for the national
identity card. This is blatant violation of individual privacy," he said.

In return for providing the state with information, the citizens are not
receiving any kind of benefits as well, the discussants said.

"For example, if someone threatens you over telephones and you post a
complaint to the law enforcers, they would not be able to take any action
because they would not be able track the callers," he said.

The real problem lies in the society's mindset where no one is aware of
rights to individual privacy, said journalist Selim Samad.

Our children are brought up in an environment where they are not given any
privacy or individual freedom. So, they do not understand the value of
privacy, said the discussants.

They said information is an asset and it needs to be protected.

In a country where the state is unable to protect its information from other
countries, it is difficult to ensure protection of individual privacy and
personal information, the discussants added.
-- 
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud
Executive Director, VOICE
House 67, Block-Ka
Pisciculture Housing Society
Shyamoli, Dhaka 1207
Bangladesh
Tel : +88-02-8158688
Cell-phone : +88-01711-881919
Alternate e-mail : exchange.voice at gmail.com
Website : www.voicebd.org
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