New digital laws risk surveillance-based governance: Iftekharuzzaman

Newly introduced digital laws in Bangladesh risk creating a surveillance-based governance model, said Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman today (28 April).

He made the remarks at the DRAPAC Bangladesh National Convening 2026 held at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Exhibition Center.

Policymakers, civil society representatives and industry leaders attended the event to discuss the future of digital governance.

Speaking at the event, Iftekharuzzaman said past legal frameworks had already shown how digital laws could suppress dissent. "We all know about the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA). Between October 2018 and September 2024 alone, more than 4,500 individuals were subjected to repression under this law," he said.

He said many of those targeted were politicians, journalists, media professionals and members of civil society.

He said such laws effectively criminalise dissent and free speech by allowing unchecked access to personal devices, including mobile phones, undermining the right to privacy.

Recalling the climate of fear, he said participants often avoided carrying phones into meetings to avoid surveillance, adding that the system enabling such monitoring still exists.

Despite the ongoing political transition, he expressed concern that newly introduced ordinances – including the Personal Data Protection Ordinance (PDPO), the National Data Management Ordinance (NDMO), and amendments to telecommunications laws – still contain provisions that centralise power in the hands of the state.

He warned that "without exception, each of these laws contains provisions that concentrate excessive power in the hands of the government, enabling a surveillance-based governance model."

Also speaking at the event, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Commissioner Mahmud Hossain highlighted institutional fragmentation as a key challenge.

He said that although the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the ICT Division were merged in 2014, they still operate in parallel, creating coordination gaps.

The discussion comes at a crucial moment following Bangladesh's February 2026 national election, widely seen as a key policy window.

Over the past year, the government has introduced several major legal measures affecting the digital sector, including cyber safety, data protection and telecommunications reforms.

However, civil society groups have criticised the process, saying consultations were limited and often procedural rather than genuinely participatory.

Rights organisations have also cautioned that vague provisions could allow expanded surveillance and censorship.