Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are causing dramatic changes in the tech-world. By 2025, 65 percent of GDP could be captured by the use of these tools. By 2032, this market can become two and a half trillion dollars. But data scientists are now worried about the productivity of AI as well as the use of AI to spread visual extremism. In this case, Bangladesh is also related other like developing countries.
According to Canadian think tank SecDev, extremist visual content (Visual Extremism-VE) is becoming increasingly popular online in the country. In 2020, the number of VE content is 2.7 million, but in 2024, it has increased to 22 million. Similarly, the number of such video channels has almost quadrupled from 405 to 1,532. At the same time, sex is also spreading at a large rate through the app. Children are also involved in this. There are 4.8 million subscribers in this country only in 1000 sexually provocative Telegram groups. Online gambling is being carried out in various formats. As of August 2023, 500,000 Bangladeshis have lost US$1.8 billion in MTF scams. In such a situation, joint public-private and media partnerships are emphasized for early detection of threats and awareness raising through the use of open source intelligence (OSINT) in online data analysis.
A workshop was held at a hotel in the capital on smart and safe Bangladesh in view of action and awareness against digital harm and was discussed all these matters. At the beginning of the workshop, Rafal Rohozinski, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of SecDev, presented a data-driven and analytical presentation on the trends and trajectories of digital loss in Bangladesh by 2024. Another presentation was given by Saba Ahmed, Secdev Engagement Manager, on how to use Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) to analyze situations and determine the real situation in the context of situational awareness to prevent digital harm. During this, he highlighted the benefits of Kiran project to create awareness about digital loss at the grassroots level. It shows that despite the increase in reactive content on social media through awareness, such accidents have decreased in the country. A similar lack of awareness has led to a fintech scam called Quotex.
At the end of the presentation, the participants were divided into three groups in the workshop to take future strategies into account, taking into account the current situation Md. Nazmul Islam, Joint Commissioner of Police, CTTC Cyber Crime Investigation Division, led the party presentation on cyber-scam; Kazi Mustafizur Rahman, President of Cybercrime Awareness Foundation (CCAF) from Cyber Bullying Group and Md Arman Hossain, Researcher of UNDP Cox’s Bazar from Violence Extremism Group, Jannatul Mawa, Senior Research Officer of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI).
Canadian Ambassador Lily Nicholas inaugurated the workshop. While speaking at the closing speech, UNDP Bangladesh Senior Government Specialist Sheela Tasnim Haq said that they will conduct such workshops outside Dhaka to spread this awareness program at the grassroots level too.
