Law Minister Anisul Huq assured the Parliament on Sunday (February 25, 2024) that the government is dedicated to safeguarding press freedom and will not impose any restrictions on it. He highlighted upcoming legislation aimed at combating misinformation and fake news without infringing on media freedom. Addressing the Parliament in the absence of the State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Huq responded to concerns raised by Jatiya Party MP from Patuakhali, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawladar, regarding the spread of false news by online media outlets. Home Minister expresses hope for swift conclusion of BDR Carnage Case Hawladar questioned the necessity of a law to prohibit such practices, to which Minister Huq reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee of free speech and press freedom. “Law has to be made in that light and with due respect,” he said. He referenced the existing Cyber Security Act, indicating that it, along with forthcoming laws proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, aims to address the issue of misinformation responsibly. The government's approach is to prevent confusion and the spread of fake news through appropriate measures, not control, the Law Minister emphasized, ensuring that the press's freedom remains intact. Read more: Information Minister questions countries’ lack of concern when BBC office in India was searched

The Indian government is considering blocking news it identifies as “false” on social media. A draft proposal of new IT regulations revealed this week stated that the Indian government would not allow social media platforms to contain any content that it deems to be incorrect, according to NDTV. This is only the most recent in a slew of actions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration to control major tech companies. Read more: UN Human Rights Council adopts 'fake news' resolution Any information identified as “fake or fraudulent” by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), or by any other agency authorised for fact-checking by the government or “by its department in which such business is transacted”, would be prohibited according to the draft. The government has also frequently engaged in disputes with different social media platforms when they disregarded requests for the removal of content or accounts that were allegedly propagating misinformation. For spreading false information and endangering national security, the Indian government has blocked 104 YouTube channels, 45 videos, four Facebook accounts, three Instagram accounts, five Twitter handles and six websites Read more: Instagram fact-check: Can a new flagging tool stop fake news? Earlier in October, the government made the announcement that a panel would be set up to hear complaints from users about social media companies’ content moderation decisions. These businesses are already required to appoint internal grievance redress officers and executives to work with law enforcement officials.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said the government is committed to ensure people’s right to know and respect freedom of speech. However, the State Minister said that the increasing trend of misinformation and fake news has become a grave concern day by day. “We all have to work in a responsible way. If we all work together, we shall be able to fight the mounting trend of misinformation and fake news,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion at Jatiya Press Club. The Women Journalists Network Bangladesh (WJNB), in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh, organised the discussion on the “Importance of Digital Literacy to combat Hate Speech and Misinformation” under the project “Digital Literacy and Digital Safety”. Read more: BNP ployed to press for right to peaceful assembly through violent means: Foreign Ministry tells diplomatic missions

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday ordered the authorities concerned to remove six 'fake' news stories and video links containing provocative content that is creating unrest in public life from Facebook and YouTube, along with steps to stop the spread of such content. The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing a writ petition regarding the issue. Two government bodies, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Digital Security Agency, were asked to submit a report within two weeks in this regard. At the same time, HC ordered an accountability strategy in accordance with the relevant laws, to verify the authenticity of all the news and videos posted on Facebook and YouTube. Lawyer Munshi Moniruzzaman and Arafat Hossain Khan appeared for the writ petition in the court while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state. On August 21, Barrister Arafat Hossain Khan, on behalf of lawyer Nilufar Anjum and barrister Ashraful Islam, served a legal notice to these two social media (Facebook-YouTube) authorities along with the relevant government agencies to remove six fake video links from the social platform. On August 25, failed to get a response, lawyer Nilufar Anjum and barrister Ashraful Islam filed a writ petition with the HC seeking its instructions on the issue. Read: HC directs IGP to report on seized goods’ storage Head of Public Policy of Facebook and YouTube Bangladesh Shabnaz Rashid Dia, BTRC Chairperson, Director General of Digital Security Agency and Inspector General of Police (IGP) were made respondents to the writ. According to the writ petition, the authorities concerned failed to monitor and control the provocative and fake contents posted on social media threatening the sovereignty and security of the state and the order of public life. This misleading information tarnishes the image of the state organs, which is a violation of the Constitution, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, Digital Security Act (DSA) and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act. The writ also stated that Facebook and YouTube have recently been found to be not fully observing their monitoring strategy, especially in Bangladesh. Such actions are being committed to present Bangladesh as a failed state to the international community creating instability in the country, it added. The writ claimed that ignorance of the clear policy of BTRC and DSA and the recent regulation of Facebook-YouTube is spreading fake news against their own policy and creating violence and unrest.  

President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Major General (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman on Tuesday said fake news and misinformation are severe deterrence to the progress of any nation.

Thailand’s government warned users of the recently introduced Clubhouse voice chat app on Wednesday that they must be careful not to misuse it or face possible legal consequences.

London, Sept 14 (BBC/UNB)- Facebook has launched a new feature allowing Instagram users to flag posts they think contain fake news to its fact-checking partners for verification. But questions remain as to whether it goes far enough to counter the amount of disinformation on the image-sharing platform, reports BBC.