Kathmandu. In the course of building a digital ecosystem in Nepal, the security of sensitive data of citizens has become increasingly challenging. Experts have said that identity theft, financial fraud, social defamation and national security have increased in the absence of clear policies and laws to ensure the security of citizens’ records linked to banking, social security, insurance and government services.
In Nepal, personal data protection is seen only as a technical issue.TAG_OPEN_p_11 According to Dipendra Prasad Panta of the Policy Research Institute, the existing act and regulations related to personal privacy have not been able to fully address the security of digital data.
Data security has not become a priority in organizations due to the lack of legal provisions on who will be responsible for data leaks and how the victims will be compensated.TAG_OPEN_p_10 The draft of the ‘Personal Data Protection Policy, 2082’ prepared by the e-Governance Board under the Prime Minister’s Office has been in limbo for a long time.
} Although the government has announced that the service will be paperless, the security of the digital infrastructure is weak. In the security audit conducted by the Department of Information Technology, many government systems have been found to be insecure.
According to cybersecurity expert Bijay Limbu, foreign IT companies are reluctant to work in Nepal due to the lack of effective laws and regulatory bodies.TAG_OPEN_p_8 Data collection agencies have not followed clear standards of security, storage and disposal, and the practice of data audit has not been established.
Incidents of hacking of government websites, ransomware attacks, theft of customer details from private companies have increased in recent times. Sending unauthorized messages using Nepal Telecom’s network, attempts to attack sensitive bodies like the Election Commission and the Department of Passports, and millions of customer details of companies like Foodmandu and Vianet are examples of this.
{{TAG_OPEN_p_6} Although complaints have increased with the Cyber Bureau of the police, the action is often limited to hackers. In the absence of a legal framework to hold public or private entities accountable for data collection, citizens’ privacy is always at risk.
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