Data Protection Act on the cards to prevent illegal data usage in business: Palak

The ICT Division is working on the Personal Data Protection Act 2023 to prevent unauthorised sales and processing of personal data for business purposes, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for post, telecommunication, and information technology.

"This law aims to ensure that information such as our financial transactions, social media activity, and personal preferences cannot be used for business or organisational purposes abroad without our consent," he said in Jashore yesterday (23 February) during the inauguration of the "Tier-4 Data Centre Cipher" organised by Accentec PLC.

Palak said, "The successful implementation of the Digital Bangladesh vision has now enhanced the quality of life and economy of the people of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Most government services are now available on a single portal, bringing these services within the reach of people's fingertips. With the development and use of technology, digital services are now available in all areas, including education, health, commerce, and economy.

"The main asset for delivering all these digital services, whether through websites, software, or digital means, is data. Hence, it is often said, 'Data is the next currency'," he added.

The state minister, at the time, highlighted the 130 million internet users in the country as a source of producing significant volumes of valuable data.

"By ensuring the security, storage, localisation, and processing of this data, we can facilitate a data-driven and smart government system, creating numerous opportunities for private sector businesses while safeguarding our data from unauthorised use," he added.

Palak further said the country's advanced data centres will be the "brain" of a prosperous, smart Bangladesh in the future. 

"Storing our data in these centres and analysing them will open up new opportunities."