Rumours, misinformation may come under cyber law

The government is considering including the spread of rumours, misinformation and online propaganda under the Cyber Security Act to take action against those involved in such activities, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam told Parliament on Wednesday.

Responding to a question from Lakshmipur-1 lawmaker Md Shahadat Hossain during the question-answer session, the minister said the government has already taken various measures to prevent the spread of false information, rumours and misleading content through fake accounts on social media platforms.

He said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is maintaining regular communication with platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to remove harmful, fake and misleading content.

Fakir Mahbub Anam said under the Cyber Security Act, relevant operators are instructed to remove or block objectionable data or websites based on requests from the National Cyber Security Agency, law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies.

However, he added that BTRC does not have its own technical equipment to independently carry out such operations.

TZ