Tech companies to be forced to share personal information on users

BANGLAO — Tech companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft will be forced by the government to hand over users’ personal data to the government if they fail to comply with data protection regulations, the telecoms and IT sectors’ trade associations said on Thursday.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Public Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (PTRA) on Wednesday said that telecoms will have to provide users’ contact details, names, addresses, the device type and any other information needed to access the services.

If the providers do not provide such information, the regulator said it will take action against the company.

The industry also faces pressure from the U.S. Justice Department to provide access to users’ private data if it finds it necessary to enforce data privacy laws in the country.

A new law, passed in March, requires telcos to store customer data in an encrypted format and to use secure encryption technology.

Companies must also post user data on an internal website, a requirement the NTC said was essential in order to comply.

PTRA said it would take all legal and technical steps to ensure that the data is safe and that users are able to access it.

But, the trade bodies said, if they do not comply, they could face a penalty.

NTC Chairman Joaquim López-Cantera said the agency has received several reports of privacy violations.

“We have received numerous reports of individuals violating the law, including those who are minors,” he said.

According to Lóñez-Canter, there is a danger that these people will continue to engage in illegal activities because they may not be aware of the consequences if they violate the law,” Lóña said.