A person contacted by WIRED confirmed that the email, mobile number and billing address listed are theirs.
US-based cybersecurity consultant Jeremiah Fowler reviewed the exposed database and confirmed its link to NTMC.
Earlier in July, US-based new website TechCrunch reported that personal data of millions of Bangladeshi citizens had been exposed online, and the issue was related to the Office of the Registrar General, a birth and death registration website. A few days later, big data was reportedly leaked from an education board.
Wired contacted a Bangladesh-based researcher who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions. The researcher says he “expects to see greater surveillance and targeting of individuals” ahead of the elections next year.
Asked about digital rights, the researcher says, “I think the first priority is to make individuals, especially activists… aware of surveillance systems and understand how to stay safe online.” “When, in the country, people are fighting for their basic rights – like securing their daily livelihoods and fighting for their political rights – digital rights come much later.”