The Election Commission will no longer provide direct information of a national from its data server while rendering national identity verification services to firms as part of its plan to prevent data leaks to third parties, said Director General of EC’s NID Registration Wing ASM Humayun Kabir on Monday.

“When they (firms) will put in information, we’ll tell them whether it is ‘matched’ or ‘unmatched,’ or in other words, ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ They will have no problem in getting NID verification services,” he said.

The NID Director General disclosed the decision while talking to reporters at his office in the capital.

He said a total of 182 firms now receive the NID verification services from the EC data server. Since 2014, the firms could get some information visible before them for verification purposes, he added.

“Since we found some evidence of (NID data) leaks, we closed them,” said Humayun Kabir.

The decision came following views-exchange meetings held last week between the EC and the representatives of these firms to determine what to do to prevent information leaks.

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“We’ve sat in views-exchange meetings separately with 64 banks, government organisations and other organisations in order to protect the valuable (NID) data in a better way in the wake of data leak (to third parties),” said the NID Director General.

He said a team will also be formed consisting of the law enforcement members and security related persons to check the systems in the firms as there are directives from the Election Commission to protect the NID data at any cost.

He, however, said now the firms can see portraits of a person concerned in the verification process.

Talking to his Monday’s meeting with regional election officers, Humayun Kabir said the meeting discussed the progress in settlement of pending applications from NID service seekers.

He said they earlier announced to dispose of some 3,78,000 pending applications within three months through a crash programme. So, the meeting was held to discuss the progress of this programme.

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“I think some 50 percent of the pending applications have already been settled. “I’m satisfied with their work so far,” said the NID Director General.