National Identity Card (NID) server of the Election Commission (EC) has been down since this morning.
Muhammad Ashraf Hossain, system manager of EC's NID division, confirmed the development to UNB.
He said that NID service has been temporarily suspended for maintenance purposes.
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Progress has been made in rectifying the issue, and it will be resolved shortly, he said.
Interruption in the NID service has raised concerns due to the absence of a disaster recovery site (DRS) or a proper backup system for this crucial database, which contains the personal information of approximately 12 crore citizens.
Officials have expressed apprehension about the potential risks posed by the lack of a DRS, and stressed the vulnerability of this national database.
This pressing matter was recently highlighted during a meeting of the EC's Information Technology Implementation Committee. The issue has garnered attention, especially in light of the upcoming National election.
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The EC initially embarked on the task of compiling a comprehensive voter list with photographs in 2007. Subsequently, voter information was updated through door-to-door visits in the years 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2019. The entirety of this vital voter data is stored on the Election Commission's servers.