[governance] Under the shadow of surveillance gadgets

[Ahmed Swapan Mahmud]

FYI
The Independent published my small piece of write up pasted below. Happy
reading!

Regards,

Ahmed
...............


Under the shadow of surveillance
gadgets<http://www.theindependentbd.com/paper-edition/others/it/7882-under-the-shadow-of-surveillance-gadgets.html>
FRIDAY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2010
AUTHOR / SOURCE : AHMED SWAPAN MAHMUD
HTTP://WWW.THEINDEPENDENTBD.COM/PAPER-EDITION/OTHERS/IT/7882-UNDER-THE-SHADOW-OF-SURVEILLANCE-GADGETS.HTML

For evolving new technologies protection of personal information in society
becoming important. To maintain human rights and principles, it is
indispensable to understand social dynamics that are gradually changing not
only because of the emerging of information technologies, but also for
imposing globalisation and monopolisation of information market. The social
needs and demands are diverging, and we are permitting this without
considering the implications, so we need to rearticulate the rules of
society based on technologies. However, a fundamental question comes whether
society has specific acts or policies regarding protection of privacy, not
only in individual's case but in case of all spheres of society. Also we
must ask whether society has any supervisory authority to protect rights of
its citizenry. How personal information can be protected by the State is an
important element to consider since State has the obligation and
responsibilities to comply with the Constitutional provisions and human
rights.

Security is another important phenomenon that has global consequences,
especially after the terrorist attacks on US in 2001. Within the premise of
capitalist and imperialist globalisation, security becomes global concern
while governments and corporations are investing millions of dollars to
protect society. On the other hand, the urges for protection of society,
ironically violating the norms and values of human rights due to lack of
policy initiatives safeguarding public interest of personal information.

In recent years, not only on a global scale, also in the developing
countries including Bangladesh, a number of steps have been taken neglecting
security of personal information and privacy. For example, mobile phone SIM
card re-registration in Bangladesh was enforced while a mobile phone user
was compelled to re-register providing every information in a prescribed
form provided by BTRC via mobile phone operators. Do we know why we put
every detail to use the mobile phone or how we can be ensured that the
information or data given to the format for re-registration will not be
leaked or used for other purposes? Who will use it and for what purposes
information was asked by the companies? If an individual didn't agree to
give personal information, his or her line was cut off. So the decision was
come from the top policy level while the other party was forced to give
information.

The other example can be Voter ID Card. Bangladesh Election Commission (EC)
has introduced Voter ID undertaking a project titled Bangladesh Voter
Registration Project that was launched to prepare biometric-based voter
lists and issue national ID cards preparing for the last national election.

The ID registration took fingerprints of the commoners and also every detail
without giving any guarantee of protection of data to an individual. Private
information of an individual or persons can be disclosed in response to
emergency. But invading privacy with malicious intention certainly
undermines the democratic values and moral of society.

Clients' personal information can also be leaked through private companies
while they do any survey or more dangerously by the mobile phone companies
which forced clients to give them personal information during
re-registration of the mobile phone SIM card. A client who doesn't meet up
the criteria given by the mobile phone company, has faced the cut off from
using the connection anymore. This phenomenon understandably comes from the
then military backed government while phone companies are instructed to
maintain the database.

There are complaints from the citizens that personal information
particularly mobile phone numbers they gave during loading money, is given
to or abused by the service providers and whom they provided, which is often
a serious offence that makes lot of hazards even in personal life. It poses
serious problems for the users of cell-phones particularly girls and women
are the worst sufferers. Since service providers are allowed by the dealers
or by the companies while state has no control over them, to load money to
SIM cards, it often goes against the norms of values to keep personal
information secret honouring the individual's privacy. The private entities
are allowed by the government while the numbers of victims in society is
increasing.

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud is Executive Director of VOICE.


-- 
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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