Summary:
- Election Commission confirms evidence of third-party NID data breaches involving five organizations.
- Accused entities include Health Directorate, UCB Bank, Chittagong Port Authority, Women Affairs Directorate, and Finance Ministry’s IBAS.
- Full investigation underway after preliminary findings revealed unauthorized data transfers.
- EC Secretary Akhtar Hossain disclosed the details following a stakeholder meeting at the Election Building.
The Election Commission has uncovered evidence that five government and financial institutions improperly shared citizens’ National Identity Document (NID) information with third parties. Secretary Md. Akhtar Hossain confirmed the breach Monday following an investigative meeting with authorized NID verification service providers at Agargaon Election Building.
Health Directorate, UCB Bank, Chittagong Port Authority, Department of Women’s Affairs, and the Finance Ministry’s IBAS have been implicated in the preliminary findings. “We’ve identified conclusive proof of unauthorized data transfers during our initial investigation,” stated Hossain during a post-meeting briefing.
The commission has suspended all NID verification privileges for the implicated organizations pending a full forensic audit. Cybersecurity experts from the Digital Security Agency have joined election officials to determine the scope of compromised data and potential national security implications.
This breach marks the first confirmed instance of systemic NID data mishandling since Bangladesh introduced biometric identity cards in 2008. The commission has convened an emergency session with the Home Ministry and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit to coordinate containment measures and assess legal penalties under the 2022 Digital Security Act.
