Personal Data Protection Rights
Hansard Research UK is an Electoral Commission–accredited observer organisation in the UK, conducting research to strengthen fair and democratic practices. Hansard Research UK and Personal Data Protection Rights UK has conducted some researches regarding overseas voters participation issues with collaboration of PAHD (Poverty Alleviation and Human Development Steps) Bangladesh.
Statement from Personal Data Protection Rights UK and Hansard Research UK
Personal data protection measure is a part of national security control measure .It is highly recommended that less use of online system or reduce sharing sensitive data via internet are more secure for data protection. Less use online ID verification process with the help of technologies provided by third parties or international system provider or provide by Tech Giant ,is more secure steps for personal data protection measure to ensure data protection rights provided by the State or authorities.
Sharing sensitive personal data over the internet, including through identity verification, biometric verification, or facial recognition software, is no longer considered an effective measure for protecting personal data, the broader public interest, or national security. Highly classified and confidential information, such as data related to eye-retina scans, should not be shared with third-party software providers or processed through their systems. Instead, secure systems should be developed and managed solely by the State, using domestic infrastructure and controlled servers to prevent cross-border data exchanges.
High-security measures must also be extended to include military personnel serving in UN Peacekeeping Missions. For example, the families of Bangladeshi military personnel could be authorised to engage in proxy voting to enable effective participation in a fair democratic process. Similarly, expatriates in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other nations with significant Bangladeshi populations could be included in the electoral process through a proxy voting system. In the same way, disabled voters could be allowed to exercise their voting rights via eligible proxy voters from within their families.
In Bangladesh, postal ballots are currently used mainly by military and police personnel on duty, election staff, and prisoners. This criterion should be safeguarded by law to prevent general voters within Bangladesh from casting their votes through postal ballots. For overseas voting, the total number of postal ballot voters should be published prior to the election date. This transparency is essential because excessive postal ballots could be printed with fraudulent internet and sent to the Election Commission without authorisation. All postal ballots must therefore be protected, verified, and counted strictly against voters’ registration numbers to ensure integrity.
“Personal Data Protection Rights” reserve all copyright.