A Supreme Court lawyer today served a legal notice seeking a halt to
biometric registration for subscriber identity module (SIM) cards of mobile operators claiming it violates privacy and has a potential malafide intention.
Lawyer
Md Humayan Kabir Pallab also added concerns that the biometric data,
supplied to some private companies, might be used for criminal
activities.
The lawyer served the notice on behalf of Khairul Hasan
Sarker, a citizen from Segun Bagicha in Dhaka. The collection of
biometric data is absolutely illegal, arbitrary, malafide and without
any substance of state security, he said in the legal notice.
Post
and telecommunication secretary, law secretary, Bangladesh
Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), inspector general of
police (IGP), Dhaka metropolitan police commissioner, Grameenphone, Robi
Axiata Ltd, Airtel Bangladesh Ltd, Banglalink Ltd, Teletalk Bangladesh
Ltd, and Pacific Bangladesh Ltd (Citycell) have been made respondents to
the legal notice.
The notice also said that the collection of such
information shall be seriously prejudicial to the safety and security of
his client as well as the whole society and it will create potential
risk in circulation of such database to national in international
criminal organisations, network or syndicate.
The lawyer requested
the government and mobile phone operators to stop collection of
biometric data and fingerprint within two days, saying that he will file
a writ petition seeking necessary order with High Court if the
collection of such information is not stopped in two days.
