Posted on 06 October 2007 by Tasneem Khalil
BBC Bengali: Internet restrictions in Bangladesh
BBC Bengali service has covered the crackdown on internet users in Bangladesh with 3 interviews. BBC has confirmed that Bangladeshi authorities are compiling a database of internet users in the country and all the ISPs [Internet Service Provider] have been instructed to submit their client details: name, address, usage details. We attach audio clips of these interviews. Considering the public interest on the story, Rezwan has translated rush transcripts/excerpts of the BBC Bengali coverage.
[display_podcast]
BBC Bengali, Parikrama, October 4:
Bangladesh Telecommunication regulatory commission [BTRC] has taken some measures to regulate internet usage [in the country] after a meeting with the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh [ISPA]. BTRC has attempted to create a database profiling the internet users in Bangladesh.
ISPA general secretary Russell T Ahmed tells BBC Bengali: “The most important thing is security. You know that people are threatening with emails, using email for various things. If these are not controlled from a central point you cannot trace them. The whole thing is to establish a control mechanism. We ISPs have corporate clients as well as individual clients. They [BTRC] have expected the details of these clients from us. How much bandwidth they use, what are their IPs, what are their usage patterns? These are basically the requirements from us. What we can fathom is that this is to monitor and prevent people from doing anything outside the legal boundary with bandwidth purchased from ISPs.
October 6th, 2007 at 9:20 am
I wonder why Bangladeshi media is not picking up the story. Are they not concerned about it or something else has been keeping them?
October 7th, 2007 at 10:34 am
[...] BBC Bengali: Internet restrictions in Bangladesh BBC Bengali service has covered the crackdown on internet users in Bangladesh with 3 interviews. [...]
October 8th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Bangladesh is being captive in the hands of a few people — not a single one of whom are elected by the people. It is indeed very ominous for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
October 9th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
[...] BBC reports confirmed quoting the General Secretary of Bangladesh ISP that the whole point of the memo is to [...]
October 19th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
[...] best
February 17th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Yes. I like the way you are thinking. I also used to think like that.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
[...] that soon your security agencies will have the technical capability to monitor the internet traffic, I am sure your so-called ‘cyber criminals’ at home and abroad are now shaking in their [...]
April 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[...] that soon your security agencies will have the technical capability to monitor the internet traffic, I am sure your so-called ‘cyber criminals’ at home and abroad are now shaking in their [...]