The government, on the other hand, senses a real threat. It cites the example of a failed coup conspiracy in 2012, where a group of ex-military officials used Facebook as the platform to prepare and plan to oust the government.22 No wonder the government’s response was to create the BD-CSIPT to identify the websites and persons or institutions that engage in activities that can be seen as harmful to the state, society, political and religious beliefs – whether using mobile phones, a simple website, or social media.23 Action steps: What’s next? Bangladesh still does not have any proper legal framework to protect privacy and to counteract surveillance. Communication surveillance happens both officially and unofficially without much challenge. Civil society has a bigger role to play in this context. Civil society organisations can raise awareness among citizens and can push the government to educate and empower people on issues of privacy, cyber crimes, etc. This is preferable to the authoritarian approach of blocking or filtering content, or conducting surveillance. A comparative study on what other countries have done and what they have achieved could be a useful background resource to create this awareness and understanding. Activists can prepare guidelines on user rights and obligations and what can be done if someone feels violated by communication surveillance. Civil society also needs to speak up on the unconstitutional provisions in the ICT Act amendment and other legal provisions that allow surveillance.  22 BBC News. (2012, January 19). Bangladesh army ‘foils coup’ against Sheikh Hasina. BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldasia-16627852 23 Times of India. (2012, January 26). Bangladesh unveils cyber watchdog. The Times of India. timesofindia.indiatimes. com/tech/it-services/Bangladesh-unveils-cyber-watchdog/ articleshow/11640219.cms bangladesh / 73