BANGLADESH IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL PRIVACY

The world's first data privacy statute was passed in Hesse (a German "lander" or state) in 1970; the United States followed suit shortly thereafter when it included privacy protections in the Fair Credit Reporting Act in 1971.

The first comprehensive national legislation on data protection came from Sweden in 1973; those laws became a model for not just European countries, but also countries around the world. Since then, privacy laws to protect online data have been passed across the globe, some of which have international implications. The approach taken by the specific country implementing the laws, however, differs according to the culture to which that country subscribes.

Considering the number of Internet users in Bangladesh, which was reported to be 87.790 million (roughly a few million less than the population of Germany) at the end of June, 2018 by the BTRC; the privacy of internet users needs more attention than ever.

In Bangladesh, The Digital Security Act, 2018 ("DSA"), which came into force on 8 October, 2018, was enacted to ensure digital security and to identify, block, prevent, trial digital crimes, etc. This Act is commonly known as the Cyber Security Act in other jurisdictions, and aims to promote confidentiality, integrity, and availability of public and private information systems and networks with the goal to protect individuals' rights and privacy, economic interests and security in the cyberspace.