Bangladesh Cyber Research Report 2020

Zahin Yasar Reshad

As the number of internet users rises in the country,
cybercrimes continue to increase at an alarming rate.The
crimes that are prevalent in our society - violence, rumors,
political propaganda, fake news, gang culture, suicide,
pornography, cyber bullying, extortion, piracy - all have
translated to digital platforms.

According to statistics published by the Bangladesh Tele
Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the total number of internet
users in July 2019 was 96 million 176 thousand, of which 94
million are mobile phone users. According to https://www.
napoleoncat.com, the total number of Facebook users in
Bangladesh in January 2019 was 33 million 713 thousand.

From farmers to professors, people of all classes have
entered this virtual realm of networking – the internet.
However, despite the large number of users, most people
remain unaware about therisks associated with internet usage.
And as a result, many fall victims of cybercrimes.

Today, the internet has become an integral part of our
daily lives. Social welfare, economic development, and
even national security are regulated via the internet. Under
such circumstances, there is no alternative to raising mass
awareness about individual accountability and controlled use
of technology, data protection, and cyber security.

Research Objective

The main objective of this research is to identify the
cybercrime victims, and come up with the means of helping
them. And to reach this objective, several methods may be
implemented:

 Identifying the type of cybercrimes to the individual level
 Informing users about the types of cybercrimes
 Determining the factors restricting victims from attaining legal aid
 Coming up with specifi c procedures for tackling cybercrime
 Regulating cybercrimes by overcoming the prevailing challenges

Research Methodology and Types

The Hourglass Methodology was practiced in this
research. The research report was conducted through Q&A’s
with victims to the individual level and extensive reviewing
and expert analysis of their comments. In this process, each
of 134 victims was asked 18 questions, with the questions
including: