The draft of the Personal Data Protection Ordinance, 2025 is now at its final stage, according to Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.
The information was provided in a press release signed by ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Jasim Uddin, on Tuesday.
The release stated that personal information/data of any citizen is their property and the state is responsible for protecting it. In the present age, personal data plays a crucial role globally in economic development and in enhancing citizens’ quality of life.
The statement further explained that citizens' data should be collected, stored and used lawfully and with their consent, whether within the country or abroad. Despite the widespread use of personal data in Bangladesh, there has been no law ensuring its confidentiality, security or proper handling. As a result, various institutions-both public and private—have been managing personal data without clear legal boundaries, leading to unplanned and often unnecessary data collection, which has deprived individuals of their legal rights and caused harm.
To address these concerns, the draft of the Personal Data Protection Ordinance, 2025 was developed, taking into account data protection laws and policies from neighboring countries and the global community, with the goal of establishing a widely accepted legal framework.
The ministry also indicated that the interim government has focused on incorporating best practices into the draft to make it business-friendly.
The draft was shared online several times to collect feedback from key business associations, international data users, the media and various public and private organizations. Stakeholder meetings were also held to gather opinions. Based on the feedback, the draft has been revised and is now at its final stage.
