The government is considering incorporating provisions in the Cyber Security Act to take legal action against individuals involved in spreading rumours and disinformation, Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told Parliament on Wednesday.
Responding to a starred question from MP Md Shahadat Hossain (Lakshmipur-1), the minister said the government has already taken various legal, technological and institutional measures to prevent the spread of propaganda, rumours and misleading information through fake accounts on social media platforms.
The question and answer were tabled in the House during the question-answer session presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
The minister said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is maintaining regular communication with platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to facilitate the removal of harmful, fake and rumour-based content.
He said the technological capabilities of relevant law enforcement agencies are being strengthened to identify fake accounts, investigate cybercrimes and track down those involved in spreading disinformation.
"The government continues to take effective measures to prevent disinformation and unethical online content through the development of legal frameworks, enhancement of technological capacity, cooperation with digital platforms and public awareness programmes," he said.
Replying to another question from MP Lutfur Rahman (Cox's Bazar-3), the minister said the government is owed Tk 13,144 crore in outstanding revenue by the country's four mobile operators.
According to the minister, state-owned Teletalk owes Tk 5,954 crore, Grameenphone Tk 6,102 crore, Robi Axiata Tk 615 crore and Banglalink Digital Communications Tk 473 crore.
He said Teletalk's outstanding dues include licence fees, revenue-sharing charges, spectrum fees, administrative penalties and contributions to the social obligation fund. An application by Teletalk to convert Tk 5,554 crore of the dues into equity is currently under consideration by the Finance Ministry.
Regarding Grameenphone, the minister said BTRC's total claim arising from information system audit objections stands at Tk 8,494.01 crore. Following court directives, the operator paid Tk 2,392.19 crore in two instalments, leaving Tk 6,101.82 crore outstanding. The matter remains pending before the higher courts.
He said BTRC's total claim against Robi Axiata, including information system audit objections and VAT on revenue-sharing payments, stands at Tk 678 crore. Robi has paid Tk 188 crore in five instalments under court directives, while the remaining amount is subject to ongoing litigation.
For Banglalink, the minister said BTRC's total claim related to information system audit objections and VAT on revenue-sharing payments amounts to Tk 473 crore. The operator has already paid Tk 381 crore, while the remaining amount is under judicial consideration.
Responding to a question from MP Dewan Mohammad Salauddin (Dhaka-19), the minister said the number of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) telephone subscribers currently stands at 340,000.
In reply to another question from MP Md Abul Hasnat (Cumilla-4), he said commercial operations of Bangabandhu Satellite-1 generated revenue of Tk 764.10 crore between fiscal years 2020-21 and 2024-25, yielding a net profit of Tk 163.97 crore.
The minister also said BTRC issues directives to remove or block objectionable online content or websites upon requests from the National Cyber Security Agency, law enforcement agencies or intelligence agencies in accordance with the Cyber Security Act.
He noted that BTRC does not possess its own specialised technological equipment for such operations. However, BTRC and Bangladesh Bank are undertaking initiatives to procure modern equipment to verify and ensure the accuracy of mobile financial services user registrations in an effort to curb mobile banking fraud.
The minister added that pilot activities have already begun to introduce a facial recognition-based verification system aimed at making the mobile SIM registration process more secure.