Data of 14,000 Journalists Leaked, EC Launches Investigation

While applying for online registration for the 13th National Parliament Election and referendum, allegations have emerged that the personal and professional information of nearly 14,000 journalists was leaked from the Election Commission (EC) website. Sensitive data, including photographs, signatures, and National Identity Card (NID) information, remained publicly accessible on the internet for several hours, creating intense anger and serious security concerns among journalists.

How the Data Was Leaked

On Saturday (January 31), after 4:00 PM, a sudden security flaw appeared on the EC’s website. According to allegations, by replacing the word “user” with “admin” in the website URL, direct access to all applications and data became possible. On the homepage itself, applicants’ names, mobile numbers, and NID numbers were visible, along with options to download the complete application forms. The website was eventually taken offline later in the evening, several hours after the issue surfaced.

Allegations of Negligence and EC’s Decision

IT experts have raised serious questions about the Election Commission’s weak online system, especially given its status as a constitutional body. According to them, the system was launched without basic security measures such as data protection and access control.

Facing protests from journalists, the EC withdrew from the online registration process on Thursday (January 29). Although it decided to revert to the previous manual method of issuing cards, by that time nearly 14,000 journalists had already completed their applications by submitting detailed personal information into the system.

Statement from EC Secretary and Formation of Investigation Committee

Regarding the incident, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, said that an investigation committee was formed immediately after receiving the complaint. He stated, “We have received information that screenshots were taken after accessing the admin panel. Whether the claim of a leak involving 14,000 records is accurate cannot be confirmed before receiving the investigation report. To determine what actually happened, we have formed an investigation committee.”

However, the Director of the Commission’s Public Relations Wing, Md. Ruhul Amin Mallik, denied allegations of hacking or data leakage, claiming that the site was shut down and there was no opportunity for data to be leaked.

Anger from Journalist Leaders

Journalist leaders have expressed strong outrage over the incident. The President of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), Abu Saleh Akon, termed the incident extremely unfortunate and irresponsible. He stated that journalists’ safety is a highly sensitive issue and demanded a proper investigation into the matter and strict action against those responsible.

It is worth noting that for the first time, the Election Commission made online application mandatory for journalists’ cards and vehicle stickers for national elections and referendums. However, at the very outset of this initiative, professional journalists were exposed to a major digital security risk.