Data privacy issues in Pakistan have reached a critical point, with recent incidents highlighting the lack of accountability and governance that leaves citizens’ personal information exposed. In a recent mishap, the Immigration and Passport Directorate sent an email to 1,130 overseas Pakistanis asking them to confirm their addresses. However, the email contained everyone’s tracking IDs and email addresses, making this sensitive data visible to all recipients.
To make matters worse, recipients were instructed to reply with personal details, including their names, ID card numbers, and phone numbers. These replies, sent to all recipients in the email chain, created a major data breach, exposing private information to over a thousand people. This incident demonstrates a complete disregard for basic privacy protocols.
This is not an isolated error but part of a larger systemic problem where institutions lack the competence and oversight needed to handle sensitive information. Adding to this challenge is the trend of appointing retired military officers to key civilian positions, often without the necessary expertise for the roles. From NADRA to other critical institutions, such appointments highlight a disregard for merit and professionalism.
These practices expose the lack of rule of law and accountability in Pakistan. Citizens’ data is treated carelessly, and there’s little effort to safeguard their privacy. Incidents like this are a stark reminder of the urgent need for better governance, competent leadership, and robust privacy protections in the country.