South Asian countries. It is particularly noticeable in India’s export of its digital public infrastructure (DPI), a deeply integrated technological ecosystem widely embedded in the daily lives of Indian citizens holding immense economic value. India has strategically leveraged DPI as a form of soft power, promoting its adoption in other countries through its interoperability, user-centric design, and ease of deployment (Parveen, 2024). As a result, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives have integrated elements of India’s DPI, while other Global Majority nations have drawn inspiration from initiatives like Aadhaar and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The Delhi Effect also extends to technology policy, with India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 setting legislative precedents and influencing regulatory approaches in its neighboring countries (Mahmood, 2022). Bangladesh Technology Act, 2006 was enacted by the Bangladeshi Parliament under the government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Thereafter, over the next fifteen years, the Awami League government’s digitization efforts significantly transformed Bangladesh, including facilitating internet access to over half of the country’s population. This expansion accelerated the growth of the country’s technology sector and led to the establishment of a nationwide biometric national identity system. This rapid expansion of digital technology occurred alongside strongman policies that strengthened the Awami League’s control over Bangladesh’s journey in tech regulation has developed significantly over recent decades. In the early 2000s, the country recognized the need to support the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a means of fostering economic progress. The foundation for technological regulation was laid with the introduction of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001 and the National Information and Communication Technology Policy, 2002. Subsequently, the Information and Communication The combined impact of these regional and global contagion effects—along with fragmented accountability mechanisms, systemic discrimination, and the weakening of civil society—has led to a highly inconsistent digital rights landscape across South Asia. Each country now faces its own set of challenges, grappling with digital governance issues that lack coordinated oversight. 8