Facebook, the most popular social media which had been initiated from informal discussions like tea table chatting has been proven itself as the most prevalent means of expressing people’s feelings. In some cases, it is creating a terrible unstable situation with various abuses including serving false information and spreading rumors as well. Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar commented that this situation is not only a big challenge for the society or the state but also for Facebook itself. He urged Facebook to take more effective initiatives to meet this challenge.
Facebook’s Bangladesh Affairs Officer Sabhanaz Rashid Diya paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications at his office in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday.
He mentioned that Bangladesh is a big market for Facebook and said that in continuation of Digital Bangladesh program, a strong telecommunication infrastructure including nationwide internet has been developed. Unlike other countries in the world, Facebook has an opportunity to invest in Bangladesh.
Following the first meeting with the Facebook authorities in Barcelona in 2018, the minister highlighted the mutual cordial relationship in the last 5 years and said that we are now able to solve many more problems through bilateral cooperation.
Mustafa Jabbar, the pioneer of digital technology development, has directed Facebook to comply with the laws and regulations of Bangladesh and not to spread falsehoods and rumors or disinformation that disturbs the national, social and personal security and honor of the country; at the same time, the telecom minister urged the Facebook representative to play role against terrorism, militancy, sectarianism, treason, pornography and protect socio-cultural values of Bangladesh. He expressed the attitude of the government not to spread anti-value data.
The minister mentioned that Facebook’s operation in 165 languages of the world through artificial intelligence technology is a rare display of Facebook’s respect for all languages of the world.
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya said, policies, laws of other countries and Bangladesh are very different, we are careful about harmful contents. Any regulation must take the personal safety of people into account. Our policy has been repeatedly told by the government to be aware of risky content, and we have taken measures in that light. She assured to build digital infrastructure in Bangladesh by Facebook.
Meanwhile, Sabhanaz Rashid Diya informed the minister that one million people have been trained to create business opportunities using the Facebook platform. Stakeholders, civil society and business representatives – all should be consulted when making any law. The Facebook representative expressed satisfaction that BTRC has done so in creating OTT guidelines. The minister gifted the Facebook representative with a set of his books and a stamp album of Mujib’s birth centenary.