Zarif Faiaz

Zarif Faiaz is a writer, journalist and communications expert. He is the In-Charge of the Tech & Startup section at The Daily Star.

Revitalising Bangladesh’s jute industry through pioneering worker training

Bangladesh, historically known as a major player in the global jute industry, has long depended on the "Golden Fibre" as a key economic driver. Yet, in recent years, the sector has faced substantial challenges, ranging from reduced demand for raw jute exports to outdated processing techniques. 

2w ago

BTRC's draft satellite internet guideline risks becoming a digital gatekeeper

This draft policy is hiding a central duality in plain sight: Bangladesh is eager to welcome cutting-edge satellite technology, yet appears equally intent on tightly controlling its operation.

1m ago

Rebranding and rebuilding Bangladesh

Now that the dust is starting to settle down, there are growing calls for reforms across the nation.

3m ago

5 signs of toxic leadership in the workplace

Some leaders exhibit toxic traits that can undermine morale, stifle creativity, and create a culture of fear and resentment. Understanding the signs of toxic leadership is the first step towards advocating for change.

4m ago

Right to access the internet is a human right

A world without internet is unimaginable in this age and time.

5m ago

The future of leadership is kindness

In recent years, the business world has seen a paradigm shift in the qualities we value in leaders. Long gone are the days when assertiveness and strength were seen as the sole indicators of effective leadership.

5m ago

How to not handle a crisis communication: A lesson from Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola's botched ad campaign highlights the pitfalls of crisis communication.

6m ago

Government mishandling of personal data: Where does it end?

Are these incidents of data breach and data leaks not contradictory to the very image of the smart, digital, developed Bangladesh that they are desperately trying to portray or advertise?

6m ago
November 2, 2022
November 2, 2022

ASUS shaping a tech-savvy Bangladesh with innovative laptops

The digital transformation of Bangladesh over the past two decades has been fueled by the increasing convergence of technology with our everyday lives.

September 30, 2022
September 30, 2022

Power cuts, load-sheddings are hurting rural freelancers

Not too long ago, freelancing was deemed an exciting career prospect for thousands of skilled Bangladeshi youths. The rapid digitalisation of the country, combined with a rising number of skilled, educated, but unemployed workforce—and consistently low market wages—contributed to a freelancing boom in Bangladesh over the last decade. 

June 24, 2022
June 24, 2022

Making it into the big leagues

No matter how much it seems like one, this is not an advertisement. Welcome to a world where we influence you to become influencers.

April 10, 2022
April 10, 2022

Internet’s greatest art war, and the fight to keep Bangladesh in it

A small community of Bangladeshis on Reddit spent three sleepless nights defending the Bangladeshi flag on a massive open digital canvas called r/place.

February 25, 2022
February 25, 2022

Bangladeshis behind global far-right online movements: Here’s what we know

Over the past few weeks, growing protests against Covid-19 restrictions have been crippling Canada-US borders and downtown Ottawa.

February 1, 2022
February 1, 2022

Facebook's promised free internet for low-income people was not free after all

Since 2013, Facebook, in collaboration with select carriers and operators, has been offering a free text-only version of its browser that–according to Facebook–wouldn’t use up mobile data. The services were targetted particularly towards developing countries with poor connectivity and as of last October, it has more than 300 million users. But recent internal documents reveal that users of the free version ended up being charged anyway. The worst part–Facebook has no idea how much. 

December 3, 2021
December 3, 2021

The never-ending streaming wars

Look, I took a break from binging my latest Netflix show to write this note. You see where this is going? Kidding. Anyway

November 19, 2021
November 19, 2021

Metaverse again

It seems like we can’t stop talking about the Metaverse. This week, once again, we talk about the Metaverse but this time, it’s

November 12, 2021
November 12, 2021

Exciting (?) times ahead

Ever since the Metaverse announcement, I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie Ready Player One.

November 5, 2021
November 5, 2021

Sweet November

November starts on a good note for us. We finally get to take a new ride out for a spin after a zillion years and we’re so happy that we slammed it for the feature story this week. Turn to the centrefold to read us gushing over the new Honda Civic 2022 and drool over all the pretty pictures we took of the car.