NCA Flags Election Misinformation as Platforms Take Down 29% of Reported Content

Ahead of the election, Bangladesh’s National Cyber Security Agency (NCA), operating under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, has been identifying fake news, rumours and harmful online content and reporting them to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for action. A 21-member NCA team has been carrying out this task round the clock, 24 hours a day. Over the past month, major social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok and Instagram have removed 29 percent of the reported content promptly.

The information was disclosed by ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury on Tuesday, January 27, at a press conference held at Hotel InterContinental in the capital, organised on the occasion of the country’s largest technology exhibition, the Digital Device and Innovation Expo 2026.

Responding to a question, the secretary said that under the existing Cyber Safety Ordinance, the NCA is the designated authority responsible for such monitoring and reporting. “Just last night, a video created using artificial intelligence and falsely claiming that there would be no voting—featuring the Chief Adviser—was circulated on Facebook. It was detected immediately and reported. It is very likely that the video will no longer be visible today,” he said.

He added that a high-powered committee comprising multiple departments and agencies is currently working to combat misinformation and harmful narratives. “A 15-member team is conducting regular monitoring, while our 21 engineers remain engaged in this work around the clock. When BTRC reports content to social media platforms, they review it in line with their community standards. In many cases, attempts are made to bypass rules through spelling variations or presentation tactics. Even so, we have been able to ensure the takedown of around 29 percent of the reported content over the last month,” he noted.

The ICT secretary further explained that whenever any suspicious post or content is identified on social media, it is immediately analysed and fact-checked. Once verified, a report is sent to the National Cyber Security Agency (NCA), which then forwards the matter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for reporting to the relevant platforms.

Shish Haider Chowdhury also mentioned that the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), and the Special Branch (SB) maintain their own dedicated 24-hour monitoring teams. “Beyond our reports, these agencies also identify and report a large volume of content. In many cases, the same content is reported by multiple agencies, which helps ensure that such issues receive the highest priority and are addressed swiftly,” he said.

He emphasised that the monitoring and reporting activities will continue during and after the election period. “Our objective is to ensure that misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and content that threatens communal harmony do not have a negative impact on society,” the ICT secretary added.

Also present at the press conference were Managing Director of the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Member (Investment and Park Coordination) and Joint Secretary of the ICT Division Mohammad Saiful Hasan, Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) President Mohammad Zahirul Islam, BCS Secretary General Monirul Islam, along with senior officials from the ICT Division, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, the iDEA project and Bangladesh Computer Samity.

DBTech/EMO/IK/OR