The government has issued two ordinances on personal data protection and management, bringing 10 types of information -- including financial, health, and community-related information -- under legal protection online. Authorities say the laws ensure citizens’ control and security over their personal data. On Thursday, the Personal Data Protection and National Data Governance ordinances were gazetted, according to a media statement from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on Sunday. Earlier, on Saturday night, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the chief advisor’s special assistant on ICT, wrote on Facebook that the move marked the start of the “data governance” era in Bangladesh. He said, “The days of selling citizens’ data for fraud or on the dark web are now over.”The initiative follows a 2023 proposal by the Awami League government to prevent the unauthorised use of personal and institutional data, which had received preliminary approval in the draft Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
