Asks Shujan on govt initiative to ‘legally conduct surveillance on citizens’

There needs to be transparency about how surveillance technologies are being used to monitor citizens, said Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) in a statement yesterday.

"Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the national parliament on January 12 that the government is going to commence a method to legally conduct surveillance on citizens," pointed out the statement.

"We believe that there needs to be a transparent explanation about the scope of the technology that is being bought using the citizens' money and will be used against the citizens." said the statement.

The citizens have a right to know this, affirmed the statement.

If such technology is abused, there will not be personal privacy left in the country.

"What was the aim behind the purchase of such technology, and in what context will it be used and whose interest will it serve? Under which law was this bought? There needs to be a clear explanation about these from the government," demanded Shujan.

Shujan fears that in the absence of a clear guideline, such surveillance technology could be abused to violate the constitutional rights of people that guarantee the privacy of personal communications and the right to freedom of expression.

"If such technology is abused, there will not be personal privacy left in the country," said the statement.

"Based on the leaked phone calls of everyone, from politicians to dissenting voices, Shujan believes that the law enforcement agencies have long used such surveillance techniques. But the government has never issued any clear statement about these," said Shujan.

There is no alternative to using such technology without creating a transparent usage guideline, insisted the rights body.

"Personal communications have previously been leaked to personally humiliate individuals and groups and to constrict dissenting voices -- therefore it is questionable whether such technology will only be used to protect state security," said the statement.

They demanded that such surveillance techniques not be used until a clear guideline is established.