Bangladesh’s newly approved Telecommunication (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 has raised serious concerns about the future of surveillance oversight in the country. While the proposed dissolution of the controversial National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) has been widely welcomed, critics argue that replacing it with a new body carrying similar powers under government control undermines the promise of genuine reform.
Under the ordinance, the Centre for Information Support (CIS) would be established within the home ministry, effectively inheriting the NTMC’s intelligence-gathering role. Although a three-member “quasi-judicial council” is proposed to oversee interception requests, its composition—chaired by the law minister and including senior home ministry officials—casts doubt on its independence and ability to act free from political influence.
The NTMC has long been criticised for alleged human rights violations, including involvement in unlawful surveillance and enforced disappearances, concerns documented by official commissions of inquiry. Human rights advocates argue that the new ordinance fails to address these systemic issues, instead expanding the state’s surveillance reach while offering limited accountability mechanisms.
While the ordinance introduces some positive provisions, such as banning internet shutdowns and criminalising unauthorised data interception and misuse, observers warn that these measures will be ineffective without independent oversight. Calls are growing to reinstate earlier proposals for a truly autonomous review body involving judicial representatives and nominees from multiple constitutional offices, rather than direct government appointees.
