Digital Defense: Bangladesh to Train Info Officers in Fact-Checking and Verification

With the rise of misinformation, disinformation, and cyber warfare in the digital age, the Government of Bangladesh is taking proactive steps to equip its information officers with essential digital skills. In a pioneering initiative, the ICT Division is set to conduct a two-day training workshop titled Digital Identification and Fact-Checking for officials from all 64 district information offices, 4 upazila-level offices, and 7 divisional information offices.

The training will be held on May 4–5 at the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) auditorium in the ICT Tower. It aims to enhance the capacity of information officers to accurately verify online content and ensure reliable information dissemination, particularly to people in remote and rural areas. The sessions will be conducted by fact-checking trainer Kadruddin Shishir.

According to sources, although the training will begin in the morning, the formal inauguration is scheduled for 2:00 PM on May 4. The event will be graced by Mohammad Mahfuz Alam, Advisor on Information and Broadcasting, as the chief guest. Fayez Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Principal Advisor at the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, will attend as the special guest. ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury will chair the inaugural session.

On May 5, the closing ceremony will feature Dr. Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, as the chief guest. Mahbuba Farzana, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will be the special guest.

This initiative follows a similar training workshop held on April 15–16 for public relations officers from various ministries, underscoring the government’s commitment to combating misinformation through institutional capacity-building.