Technology experts and media professionals in Bangladesh have warned that the absence of a sovereign cloud infrastructure could lead to a loss of control over national data.
Speaking at a workshop on OpenStack Sovereign Cloud, Professor Dr BM Mainul Hossain, Director of Dhaka University’s Institute of Information Technology (IITDU), said that data is now the fuel of the modern era.
“If our data is in the hands of Amazon, Facebook or Google, we lose the ability to control it,” he said. “Without establishing a domestic cloud infrastructure, true data sovereignty is not possible.”
He urged both government and private sectors to prioritise local companies for data services and called on the media to raise awareness of the issue.
The event, held at Banani Club in Dhaka on Wednesday (27 August), was organised by the Bangladesh ICT Journalists Forum (BIJF), with support from Plexus Cloud Limited.
Mobarak Hossain, Managing Director of Plexus Cloud, questioned the role of global tech firms, saying: “Google is not a technology company — it is a marketing company.”
He alleged that major technology companies were generating profit by using users’ data while consumers handed over their personal information willingly. He added that disruptions to services like Gmail could severely impact smartphone functionality, describing the situation as “digital captivity.”
“To achieve digital freedom, we must develop our own cloud platforms and data centres,” he said.
In his opening remarks, BIJF Vice President Bhuiyan Enam Lenin highlighted the growing presence of artificial intelligence in everyday life. “AI has already entered households. We must understand tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and cloud technologies — otherwise misinformation will spread,” he said.
BIJF President Hitler A. Halim, who chaired the session, said such workshops help journalists better understand emerging technologies. “This will strengthen our reporting, feature writing, and analysis,” he said. He also announced plans for more workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions on AI and other relevant topics.
Former BIJF President Nazneen Nahar also addressed the event, which was attended by 40 ICT journalists.
The workshop concluded with closing remarks by BIJF General Secretary Sabbir Hasan.
In his welcome address at the workshop, BIJF Vice President Bhuiyan Enam Lenin said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already entered every household. He stressed the need to learn about tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Cloud, warning that without proper knowledge, confusion will spread throughout society.
In his presidential speech, BIJF President Hitler A. Halim said that such workshops provide an opportunity to understand technology. They will help enhance our reports, features, and analysis. He announced that BIJF will organise more workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions on AI and other timely technologies in the future.
Former BIJF President Nazneen Nahar delivered a goodwill message at the workshop, which was attended by 40 ICT journalists.
The closing remarks at the event were delivered by the organisation’s General Secretary Sabbin Hasan.
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