Information Technology Desk: Facebook has closed 50 Facebook IDs and 98 pages in Bangladesh due to organized false propaganda. The Awami League and the party’s research cell, the Center for Research and Information (CRI), have been associated with these activities.
The agency said those behind these “misdeeds” used fake Facebook accounts, many of which were identified and shut down through automated systems.
These things were said in the 2024 first quarter report of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, on Thursday.
Among the accounts reported by Meta to be suspended is the Twitter account (twitter.com/tonmoybuet) of Awami League’s Research Cell Center for Research and Information Coordinator Tanmoy Ahmed.
When asked about this, Tanmoy Ahmed said, “I was surprised to see the way Facebook wrote.” They cannot write like this. They are not sure who runs these IDs or pages, but the allegation they have made is not true. Again, the list mentions my Twitter account, but my Twitter account is active. Soon I will post on my verified Twitter account and let everyone know about it.”
When asked if the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) knows anything about the closure of these 148 pages and IDs, Chairman Engineer Mohiuddin Ahmed said, “We do not have any information in this regard.” We recommend some IDs or pages to them, and we talk to them about them. How they did it, we don’t know anything.
According to the report by Meta, this gang is based in Bangladesh, and the people of this country were their main target. Some of these pages introduce completely fictitious organizations. Again, in some cases, the name of the established media in Bangladesh has been used. Some pages have used the BNP name and posted anti-BNP content. The circulation of these pages was also on various platforms, including YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Tik Tok, and Telegram. They also had their own website.
When asked about this kind of propaganda, Deputy Inspector General of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Shyamal Kumar Nath, said, “We don’t know anything about these 148 pages or IDs.”
However, Tarek Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of the Cyber Crime Department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), said, “We send the list to Facebook in various cases. It cannot be said without seeing whether these names are there. However, we only report against IDs or pages associated with various types of crimes. We do not know what the complaints were against the pages or IDs that have been closed.
According to the Meta report, the group mainly posted news and current affairs in Bengali and English on Bangladeshi politics, elections, criticism of BNP, allegations of corruption against BNP, and alleged involvement of BNP in pre-election violence. Besides, the current government, the ruling party, and its role in the technological development of Bangladesh used to make various comments in support of these
Meta says they found these activities to be spam and fake activities during their search. Although the people behind it have tried to hide their identities, subsequent searches of the meter have found links to people associated with the Awami League and CRI. The removed IDs and pages had a combined total of about 3.4 million followers. Meta also reported spending $60 on advertising from these pages, which was paid in Rs.
When asked whether BNP had made any complaint against these IDs or pages, BNP’s media cell convener and former member of parliament Zahir Uddin Swapan said, ‘We have not directly complained to Meta. But we have been saying that the Awami League is spreading misinformation against us through social media. So far, no one has given importance to these as political statements. But now Meta has taken action against them, and it has been proven that the allegations we have been making for so long are true. BNP has made a made a policy decision that we will use social media but not spread any kind of propaganda or false or misleading news here. But these are happening against us.
However, Awami League’s information and research editor is angry with such a decision. Salim Mahmud
He said, “Facebook authorities cannot write against a party like this.” Who ran those IDs or pages? Any BNP supporter can also own them. Again, they did not see the false propaganda being carried out against us all over the world. What is Pinaki doing while sitting abroad? What are others doing? I think legal action should be taken in this regard.
Salim Mahmud also said, ‘Technology has improved so much only after the government led by Sheikh Hasina came to power. Now that technology can be used to do whatever one wants, it cannot be accepted. In Bangladesh, it is important to have regulations regarding their use. We will talk to the lawyers. We will definitely do something about this.
Source: Deutsche Welle
