Awami League’s Online Outlets Face Official Action

The government has initiated steps to shut down all online platforms operated by the ruling Bangladesh Awami League and its affiliated, associate, and like-minded organizations. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has received a formal directive to block these entities’ websites, along with their accounts on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and ICT, confirmed to DigiBangla on Tuesday that the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) has officially communicated this request to the BTRC.

According to sources, beginning Wednesday, the NCSA and BTRC will send formal notices to the concerned social media platforms, requesting that they block the Awami League and its allied bodies' social media accounts, citing legal grounds and government directives.

In response to a query, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb stated, “The government can only block websites. For removing content or taking action against pages or accounts on social media, governments regularly request companies like Meta and Google for cooperation. These platforms evaluate such requests based on their internal guidelines and terms of service.”

He added, “Since these companies do not have local offices in Bangladesh, we will make every effort to ensure they comply with our laws to the best of our ability.”

According to Meta’s most recent transparency report, the platform restricted access to 2,940 items in Bangladesh from January to June 2024, following BTRC requests during the Awami League’s tenure.

Google’s transparency data shows that Bangladesh submitted 490 content removal requests in 2024, involving a total of 5,827 items. Of these, 337 requests were made in the first half of the year, during which Google took no action in 68.2% of the cases. In the latter half, 45.8% of the requests were not acted upon.