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On December 5, 2005, an amendment was brought to the Bangladesh Telecommunications Act 2001, bringing an end to the citizen's right to privacy. Under the new ordinance, phones can be tapped with the permission of the chief executive of the home ministry. It snubs the concept of personal communication. As the promulgation of the new ordinance not only condones but also provides legal cover to eavesdropping on phone conversations by law enforcement agencies, what it demolishes is the very ethos of a democratic society that hinges on freedom of speech as well as communication. Legalising interception of all telephone calls may open a floodgate, leading to all sorts of curtailment of democratic rights.

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