Digitally Right has released the third edition of Technology, People, and Policy, featuring original research from the 2024 Tech Policy Fellowship cohort. In this volume, our diverse group of Fellows analyzes urgent and complex policy debates shaping Bangladesh’s digital landscape. The lead paper in this edition critically examines the implications of the ‘national security exemption’ under the draft Personal Data Protection Ordinance, 2025, highlighting crucial concerns regarding citizens’ right to privacy.
Other contributions to the volume delve into a range of pressing platform governance and digital rights issues in the country: the role and liability of telecommunications companies in enabling internet shutdowns, and the intersection of law, gender, and technology through an unpacking of the Cyber Protection Ordinance 2025 and its impact on consent and online intimacy. Other studies analyze the effectiveness of Meta’s Community Notes in countering political and gender-based misinformation, and examine the pervasive issue of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, underscoring the systemic barriers survivors face when engaging with justice mechanisms.
Conducted between March and September 2025, these studies capture a highly dynamic period in tech policy. Since Bangladesh’s regulatory landscape has undergone significant changes since the Fellowship concluded, the frameworks analyzed within these papers reflect the legislation in effect during that specific window, offering a vital baseline for understanding how these policies continue to evolve.
This body of work reflects the Fellows’ deep commitment to shaping a more equitable, transparent, and rights-based digital future.
We extend our deep gratitude to our knowledge partner, Access Now, for their continued collaboration, and offer a special thanks to our mentoring and editorial teams for their invaluable guidance in refining these research contributions.
We hope this publication will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and advocates, inspiring continued dialogue and action toward accountable technology governance in Bangladesh and beyond.
Read the full publication here.