Several years ago, the process of introducing the National Identity (NID) card had not yet started in the country. One day, I received repeated phone calls from the same number, which appeared to be official. When I answered the call, a woman's voice greeted me. However, I felt a slight annoyance as it was during work hours. The caller represented one of the emerging banks at that time and expressed a desire to open an account.

I was taken aback by this situation. How had she obtained my phone number? When I inquired, she skillfully avoided giving a direct answer. I had not shared my phone number with many individuals; only a select few had it. Puzzled, I wondered how this number could have ended up with her. Considering that I held an account at a multinational bank within the country, I approached a bank officer. Without preamble, I questioned him about the disclosure of our contact details. I questioned how another bank would have reached out to us if not for someone sharing our phone numbers.

His tone became gentler as he addressed someone, expressing his disapproval. He mentioned that within our bank, there were individuals with malicious intentions who were responsible for the act.

I grasped the situation; they were well-informed about it. It could have occurred through any of them. I've come to understand that when personal information is shared with various entities, there's a potential for it to be compromised. Concerned citizens of our nation became anxious when their fingerprints and ID cards were handed over to mobile phone companies. During that period, many people voiced their concerns over the safety of citizens' data. Eventually, these measures were justified in the name of national security.

When the national identity card was introduced, numerous experienced individuals in our country realized that, while government officials have responsibilities toward state resources and the people, there's no guarantee regarding the security of this critical data. Conversely, there's a risk that citizens' sensitive information could be exposed due to negligence, shortcomings in processes, or even unethical practices like bribery – and this is already happening.

Where the central bank of the country is unable to secure the nation's valuable foreign currency from cyber heists, it is not unusual for common people to experience fragile data security.

The fears and concerns of the conscious community have turned into realities at various times. However, the worst incident occurred on June 27, 2023. According to published reports, on that day, the sensitive personal information of over five crore people in Bangladesh was leaked. The leaked information from a Bangladesh government website included full names, phone numbers, email IDs, and national identity card numbers. Five crore represents more than half of the country's population when considering only NID card holders. Since the NID is exclusively available to individuals over 18 years old, it may not yet have reached 10 crore. Surprisingly, no one in authority seemed unsettled, despite more than half of the country's citizens' information being exposed (according to NID card holders). Viktor Markopoulos, a researcher from Bitcrack Cyber Security, a computer security solutions firm based in South Africa, was the first to discover this issue. As per reports, Victor attempted to contact Bangladeshi authorities multiple times upon discovering the leak but received no response. He mentioned that he sent emails to Bangladeshi authorities on June 28, July 3, 4, 5, and 7, yet received no response. When the information went public globally and subsequently in the domestic media, the Minister of State for Information Technology and a few other organizations made some perplexing statements.

Based on current knowledge, this incident does not seem to be a cyber-security attack; instead, it appears to have occurred due to severe vulnerabilities in the government's website and flaws within the security system. In simpler terms, the website storing valuable and crucial personal information of citizens lacks proper security measures. This concerning state of affairs isn't limited to just one sector of the country; rather, as only the affected individuals are aware, similar vulnerabilities are present in many other sectors.

It's important to note that there has been a decade-long push for a digital Bangladesh and e-government in the country. State Minister Palak, a spokesperson for Digital Bangladesh, has hailed the youth as leaders of the fourth industrial revolution during his speeches. He has also boldly claimed that Bangladesh will lead the upcoming industrial revolution. Now, the concept of a Smart Bangladesh is being revisited. In essence, they believe that Digital Bangladesh has matured and is now transitioning to a smart phase. However, when Obaidul Quader first introduced the idea of Smart Bangladesh, it met with some hesitance, causing a slight disruption in the reception. Nevertheless, the notion of Smart Bangladesh is echoing as the national elections draw near. Meanwhile, the occurrence of data leakage has come to the forefront. This incident emphasizes that terms like digital, smart, and e-government are mere words without meaningful action. Such government initiatives often result in citizen harassment and insecurity. Individuals seeking various e-governance services, and even making adjustments when necessary (despite any mistakes arising from government worker oversight), are fully aware of the many challenges they have to face in this situation.

Amidst the controversy surrounding extensive personal data leaks, a national daily featured the headline 'Don’t Accept Liability, but Take Liability' in their editorial column today (July 13, 2023). The column commented on a particular aspect, noting, "It is not difficult to understand the EC's and the Minister of State's statements as to how insignificant the issue of protecting citizens' valuable information to the concerned government institutions is. Unfortunately, the notion that checking and responding to e-mail regularly is a duty and part of routine work has not yet been developed. Although there is no specific law in Bangladesh concerning personal privacy, there have been many instances of restrictions on freedom of expression and dissent through restrictive laws such as the Digital Security Act. However, the core issue of digital safety and security is being ignored."

Yet, the pivotal question remains whether the government is collecting and retaining citizens' data, including their essential personal markers (such as fingerprints, iris scans, etc.), to enhance citizen services or solely for governmental gains. Given the statement of the Minister of State for Digital Affairs, it seems to lean towards the latter. While acknowledging the responsibility, he also asserts that "leaked information is not a threat to national security, but it can be a personal cybercrime." To them, a nation is formed without an individual. The interests of the government are prioritized over the interests of the individual. People's personal lives are already under attack in this age of Internet development, and maintaining personal privacy is becoming increasingly difficult. On the other hand, as many areas of monetary transactions have become automated, the rate of digital financial fraud has increased tremendously. Where will people go if their information becomes unsafe in the hands of government officials?

Life, wealth, honor—nothing is secure in a state like ours. Just a few days ago, a newspaper reported that there is one robber for every 388 citizens in Dhaka city. Furthermore, theft, assaults, legal battles, disappearances, and the erosion of people's honor, dignity, lives, and property due to a class of leaders are not hidden truths. If the government negligently leaks sensitive personal information of more than half of the adult citizens, where can the people turn for safety?

This raises the question: Is this information genuinely collected for the citizens' benefit, or is it gathered and maintained as a strategy to strengthen the government's own power and control over its citizens? When a country's minister of state responsible for ICT openly states that information leakage occurred due to website vulnerabilities, citizens need not panic. Yet, hasn't this incident potentially made it easier for global cyber terrorists to target the country's crucial government websites?

Daily Bonik Barta in its report of July 11, says, "The incident of information leakage reveals the poor state of national security." But the question is, has anyone's job been lost due to this poor state? Have any officers been transferred? Is there a minister or a state minister who has resigned? Or has anyone taken responsibility and resigned? However, some DCs and government officials were immediately transferred due to the disclosure and obstruction of land purchases by ministers and their relatives. But what happened in this case? On the contrary, some officials are making rather absurd statements.  For instance: The DG of NID said, 'The server is secure.' If the server is secure even after the NID information of 5 crore people is leaked, then we have to say hello.
In summary, the public has witnessed no real action—no accountability, no responsibility-taking, and no remedial measures.

Lastly, we'd like to emphasize that our sacred religion, Islam, places significant value on individuals' personal privacy. Various teachings in the Quran and Sunnah affirm that no one's privacy should be violated, whether on an individual or governmental level. Only those who are aware of the Islamic social framework understand how crucial personal privacy is in Islam. Unauthorized entry into someone's home is prohibited, and the Holy Qur'an clearly forbids prying into others' private matters to unearth hidden flaws. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala says:
 

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اجتَنِبوا كَثيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعضَ الظَّنِّ إِثمٌ ۖ وَلا تَجَسَّسوا وَلا يَغتَب بَعضُكُم بَعضًا ۚ

“O you who have faith! Avoid much suspicion. Indeed some suspicions are sins.
And do not spy on or backbite one another.”
[Surah Hujurat (49): 12]

يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَدْخُلُوْا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتّی تَسْتَاْنِسُوْا وَ تُسَلِّمُوا عَلْۤي اَهٰلِهَا ذلِكُ مْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُوْنَ, فَاِنْ لَّمْ تَجِدُوْا فِيْهَاہ اَحَدًا فَلَا تَدْخُلُوهَا حَتّي يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ وَ اِنْ قِيْلَ لَك ُمُ ارْجِعُوْا فَارْجِعُوْا هُوَ اَزْكٰي لَكُمْ وَاللهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ عَلِيْمٌ.

“O you who have faith! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have announced (your arrival) and greeted their occupants. That is better for you. Maybe you will take admonition. But if you do not find anyone in them, do not enter them until you are given permission, and if you are told: ‘Turn back,’ then do turn back. That is more decent for you. And Allah knows best what you do.”
[Surah Noor (24): 27-28]

Similarly, various hadiths also stress the importance of protecting personal privacy. For example, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

مَنِ اسْتَمع إلى حَديثِ قَوْمٍ وهُمْ له كارِهُونَ, اوْ يَفِرُّونَ منه; صُبَّ في أُذُنِهِ الآنُكُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ.

“If somebody listens to the talk of some people who do not like him (to listen) or they run away from him, then molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Sahih Bukhari, Hadith-7042]

Sa'id al-Maqburi said,

مَرَرْتُ عَلَى ابْنِ عُمَرَ, وَمَعَهُ رَجُلٌ يَتَحَدَّثُ, فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِمَا, فَلَطَمَ فِي صَدْرِي فَقَالََ: إِذَا وَجَدْتَ ثنَيْنِ يَتَحَ دَّثَانِ فَلَا تَقُم مَعَهُمَا, وَلَا تَجْلِسْ مَعَهُمَا, حَتَّى تَسْتَأْذِنَهُمَا, فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ اللهُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحمَنِ, إِنَّمَا رَجَوْتُ أَنْ أَسْمَعَ مِنْكُمَا خَيْرًا.

“I passed by Ibn 'Umar who had a man with him with whom he was conversing. I went to them, and he struck me on the chest and said, 'When you find two men conversing, do not go up to them nor sit with them until they give you permission.' I said. 'May Allah make you prosper, Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman. I hoped that I would hear something good from you.”
[Al-Adabul Mufrad, Hadith-1166]

Not only that, but who is unaware that Zakat is a major pillar of Islamic economics? The Islamic government addresses the most critical and complex issues of poverty alleviation by collecting and distributing Zakat through effective management. One of the primary responsibilities of an Islamic state is to collect Zakat from capable citizens and distribute it to the poor. If necessary, the state can enforce these responsibilities strictly. Nevertheless, the state is neither obligated nor authorized to collect Zakat on concealed wealth, such as hidden jewelry or cash; this responsibility falls on the individual believer. Driven by their beliefs and piety, they are expected to calculate Zakat on such wealth. However, the state will not intrude to discover these accounts. Numerous other examples exist.

During the rule of Caliph Hazrat Umar (RA), a man was accused of secretly drinking wine with friends at his home. After hearing the complaint, Hazrat Umar (RA) went to the person's house without informing him but found nothing amiss. When he inquired, the man objected, "Ameerul Mumineen! You're engaging in something unlawful! The Quran forbids searching for people's crimes." Caliph Umar then walked away.

Think about it: at that time, he governed nearly half of the world. Even today, no one has matched his bravery, commitment, justice, and righteousness. The devil would flee at the mere mention of his approach. Despite a citizen's minor protest, he readily respected personal privacy. Can the modern world provide any comparable examples? Much is said about human and civil rights, yet not only our country but also supposedly developed nations come close to ensuring the personal security and privacy that residents enjoyed during Islam's golden age.

Islamic guidance on safeguarding personal privacy is evident. Unfortunately, in a country where 91 percent are Muslims, citizens' personal information is now deemed unsafe and inconsequential in the hands of the state. May Allah guide us.

Translation: Alauddin Rafiq