Facebook-YouTube will be compelled to open offices and set up data centers in the country: Palak
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said that strict action will be taken against social media such as Facebook, YouTube if they do not cooperate government in preventing misinformation and rumors. They will even be compelled to open offices and set up data centers in Bangladesh, the state minister said.
He conveyed this information at the BSRF dialogue organized by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the media center of the Secretariat on Tuesday (July 16). BSRF president Fasih Uddin Mahtab presided over the dialogue and general secretary Masudul Haque moderated.
In the dialogue, the state minister said that inaction is going on to create chaos in the country by spreading rumors, 'We will request everyone to be vigilant in this regard. Besides, I will also request the authorities of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok to respect the laws of Bangladesh. To ensure the safety of our students and citizens of the country, considering religious sentiments and national security, they should not indulge in any kind of false rumors. If we do not get cooperation from them, we will be forced to take strict legal action against them as well.”
"For a long time, the government has been requesting Facebook's Liaison office in Bangladesh. But they are not responding to it, the state minister said, 'A large number of people in Bangladesh use Facebook. Considering the income that Facebook makes from here through legal and illegal means, they should give more importance to Bangladesh. Bangladesh's laws, religious values, security, law and order and national security should be taken into account. Considering those matters, we have said them many times. But we notice that they (social media) are only interested in legal and illegal income from Bangladesh, but we do not see any sense of responsibility and duty for Bangladesh" - he added.
The Minister of State for Posts and Telecommunications also said that we are also saying through you that we will write to them again in strict language to register their offices, their data centers, all their activities in quick time.
He said that the data of the citizens of Bangladesh should be kept in the soil of Bangladesh. Because they are using our information to grow their business without our knowledge. What we like, what kind of restaurant we eat, what kind of music we like to listen to, what kind of movie we like to watch, what kind of post I give, what kind of clothes I read - these data they secretly collect and display advertisements in front of us. But we don't get a share of the ad revenue they earn. They are giving our information to other companies without our permission. Legally it is a crime and humanly it is inhuman.
Palak also said that they are taking and using all the sensitive information of our citizens for business interests and they are making money from Bangladesh through legal and illegal ways. We cannot really accept them in any way. That is why we will force Facebook, TikTok, YouTube to register and open their offices in Bangladesh, set up their data centers, and keep Bangladeshi data in Bangladesh.
