Telecom Ordinance Sent Back for Review as Govt Moves to Crack Down on AI-Driven Fraud

The Advisory Council has sent back the Bangladesh Telecommunications Ordinance, 2025 for further review instead of giving its approval. However, the council passed three other laws—the Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 with an added e-registration provision, the Commercial Court Ordinance 2025, and the Legal Aid (Second) Ordinance.

These decisions came during the Advisory Council meeting held on Thursday, December 11, at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, with the Chief Adviser presiding. During the session, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus also instructed authorities to take stricter measures against online and technology-driven fraud.

Later in the afternoon, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafique Alam briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy on Bailey Road. He stated that the council has officially recognized Grenada as a sovereign state. He also confirmed that the government has withdrawn VAT on metro rail services.

The press secretary noted that the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified fraudulent activities in Bangladesh, describing the situation as “a sea of fraud.” He said a major fraud syndicate is deceiving people, including through visa-related scams, damaging the country’s reputation abroad and creating difficulties for Bangladeshi citizens in visa processing. The Chief Adviser has therefore issued a clear directive to formulate a dedicated law to curb such AI-driven and online fraud.

“This law will be drafted on an urgent basis so that there are clear penalties and all necessary measures are included to take action against those committing fraud online or using AI software,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Advisory Council’s decision to return the Bangladesh Telecommunications Ordinance, 2025 for further scrutiny has halted the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s (BTRC) plan to observe a symbolic work stoppage protesting fears of losing institutional independence under the proposed law. Business-community criticisms surrounding the draft are also expected to ease temporarily.

DBTech/ONA/EK/OR