Mark Linscott and Gopal Nadadur
Data protection regulations in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are of immense importance to the three countries and to the world. In addition to their geopolitical importance, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are home to large and young populations, with digital economies that are either fast-growing or have the potential to be. Close to 2 billion people in total reside in the three countries, with more than 60 percent of this population younger than 35 years old. All three countries boast high cellular connectivity: there are around 200 million mobile phone subscribers each in Bangladesh and Pakistan and over 1.2 billion in India. This connectivity is driving rapid growth in new, data-reliant industries such as e-commerce.
Recognizing this rapid progress as well as the tremendous potential, policymakers in the three countries are rightly betting on the promise of their technology sectors to play key roles in economic growth, job creation, and overall social good. As policymakers are aware, developing vibrant and innovative technology sectors is even more urgent given the ongoing transition worldwide from labor-intensive economies to more knowledge-intensive ones. This trend is accelerating because of recent technological breakthroughs, including in automation and robotics, big data, and generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Policymakers are also rightly prioritizing greater data regulation, for reasons that range from combating misinformation to safeguarding national security and sovereignty. These priorities—including economic, social, and security—involve complex trade-offs.
To be sure, none of these trade-offs and complexities are unique to these three South Asian countries. Governments across the world are navigating similar issues, made even more challenging by the rapid pace of technological progress.
Recognizing the importance and complexity of this topic, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center embarked in 2023 on a study of the state of data protection regulations in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The project resulted in three issue briefs—one each for the three countries—that were published from March through May 2023 and provided an overview of the regulatory landscape, the underlying politics, and watchpoints. This paper represents the capstone of the project.
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