Bytesforall Bangladesh has worked to prepare a document on what we should do when someone known to us becomes a victim of online violence. We have recently updated the document with more information. These crimes may include cyberstalking, cyber harassment, morphing and obscene publication, email/profile hacking, spoofing, cyber pornography including revenge porn, internet voyeurism, cyber defamation, cyberbullying, e-mail harassment, cyber blackmailing, threatening, emotional cheating by impersonation, intimate partner violence through internet and abetment of such offenses. The document originally prepared by APC and Take Back the Tech, has been customized in Bangladesh context.
Bangladesh telecom regulatory authority suggests that in August 2019 Bangladesh has more than 98 million Internet subscribers which is around 42% of the total population. But as the Internet user base grows, here comes the issues of Internet privacy, security and user rights particularly for the female users. A report from Police HQ in September, 2017, shows that 1,417 cases were filed under the Cyber Security Act 2006 from 2012 to June 2017. Cyber Security Help Desk set up by ICT Division reported that more than 17,000 complaints have been submitted at the helpdesk, out of which more than 70% of complaints are from women Internet users. More than 60% of women had faced some form of harassment at Facebook. About 10% of the victims had very serious allegations. Their images were stolen, merged with pornographic images and then released on the internet.