THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday revealed that several Rohingya people have managed entry into national identification server through a “lost laptop” of Election Commission, which was used for NID procurement. The ACC also found that some prescribed forms used to collect data are also missing from the EC local office in Chattogram. The primary evidences show that some EC officials are involved in incorporating Rohingya people into the NID server. The EC secretariat also cannot avoid their responsibility for misuse of classified data stored in the missing laptop.
After arresting Rohingyas with Bangladeshi NIDs and passports recently, the ACC started the investigation. During the visit, the ACC officials found that the lost laptop was something special and it got a direct connection to NID server with a designated IP address. What’s most significant is that the EC officials did not know anything about its missing. As per information available, the laptop was used in Banshkhali Upazila and Panchliash area of the Chattogram city for the last time. It is suspected that around 2,000 to 2,500 dubious entries into the NID server were made with the laptop.
It is alleged that a syndicate of nine to 10 people active at EC is involved in different irregularities in exchange for money. Even, District Election Officer knows nothing about the missing laptop. He said the laptop went missing before he joined the office around a year ago and he did not know anything about it. The missing laptop and entry of the Rohingya people into the NID and Passport servers with the help of policemen, local influential and middlemen explicitly expresses the insecurity of the national server and data security system. The government pleaded to ensure citizens’ digital security but the case revealed by the ACC proved different scenario. Data can become a most powerful weapon if landed on the hand of criminals. So the government should involve security experts to examine the laps in the NID server. The authorities concerned also must check all laptops using in the NID projects as early as possible to avoid further data leakage and unexpected entry.
