‘Govt agencies working 24 hours to curb online misinformation’
The Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division, Shish Haidar Chowdhury, said that several government agencies are working 24 hours a day in a coordinated manner to quickly identify and remove misinformation, rumours, and harmful online content.
He made the statement at a press conference held ahead of the country’s largest technology exhibition, Digital Device and Innovation Expo 2026, scheduled to begin on January 28 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCMCC) in Dhaka.
Shish Haider Chowdhury said that the 15-member committee works in coordination with multiple government agencies and is supported by 21 engineers who monitor digital platforms 24 hours a day. Suspicious social media content is analysed and fact-checked before being forwarded to the National Cyber Security (NCS) authority. Verified cases are then sent to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for review in line with platform community standards.
“Some posts attempt to bypass regulations using spelling or formatting tricks, but nearly 29 percent of reported content has been removed in the past month,” he said, adding that significant progress has been made in removing harmful content from platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
The ICT Secretary also noted that dedicated 24-hour teams from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), and the Special Branch (SB) assist in identifying and reporting harmful content. Posts flagged by multiple agencies are prioritized for immediate action.
He emphasised that the monitoring efforts will continue during the election and post-election periods to prevent misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and communal content from disrupting social harmony.
Among others, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority Managing Director Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Mohammad Saiful Hasan, Member (Investment and Park Coordination) and Joint Secretary of the ICT Division, and Mohammad Zahidul Islam, President of Bangladesh Computer Samity, along with its Secretary General Monirul Islam, were present on the occasion.
EAR/MHK