United News of Bangladesh

Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal on Wednesday said freedom of expression is recognised as a fundamental right in the Constitution, but spreading misinformation through social media to create social disorder cannot be considered part of that right. He stressed the need for greater awareness and engagement among lawmakers and stakeholders on the issue. The remarks came when a delegation of the UNESCO, led by its Head of Office and Representative to Bangladesh Dr Susan Vize, paid a courtesy call on him at his Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban office. Kayser Kamal said UNESCO’s activities in education, culture and information technology are benefiting children and the wider community. He also underscored the importance of raising public awareness about laws related to cybercrime and cybersecurity. During the meeting, UNESCO representatives expressed interest in working jointly to strengthen media and information literacy, promote professional standards in journalism and enhance citizens’ access to information. The two sides also discussed several bilateral issues, including education, information technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Emphasising the need for drawing a line between free speech and disinformation, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said that innovative solutions are needed to spread truth in the society. "Incorrect information can led people and the society in the wrong way. On the other hand, right and objective information can play a role in creating constructive opinion," Shirin said, while addressing the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna on Tuesday night. However, she advocated the need for stricter laws if the existing ones are inadequate to curb the menace of fake news. "In addition to ensuring fundamental freedom of speech and expression, more effective and innovative solutions need to be explored to spread truth. If the desired results are not achieved through the existing laws, more powerful laws need to be enacted," the Speaker added. Read: Norwegian envoy meets Speaker Shirin Sharmin Urging people to shun conventional mentality, she said: "It is needed to change the conventional ideas, mentality and thinking. In addition to spreading the need for education among the older generation, the new generation should be abreast with the latest developments. "Strong family structures as well as educational institutions are essential for proper education and the media can play an important role in this regard." Awami League MPs Bodruddoza Md Farhad Hossain (Brahmanbaria-1), Rumana Ali (Women Seat-14) and Gloria Jharna Sarker (Women Seat-30) were also present at the conference on 'Countering Misinformation and Hate Speech Requires Stronger Regulations'. Dr Shirin left Dhaka for Vienna, the capital of Austria, to attend the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament on September 5. Also read: Dr Shirin leaves for Vienna to join Speakers’ Conference She will also join the 13th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament (13SWSP) and the First Global Parliamentary Meeting on Counter-Terrorism. The 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, the world's largest gathering of the highest level of parliamentary representation, is being jointly organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Austrian Parliament on September 7 and 8. This conference will be followed by the 13SWSP and the Parliamentary Meeting on Counter-Terrorism on September 9. Over 110 Parliament Speakers from around the world arrived in Vienna for the first in-person large-scale inter-parliamentary meeting since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Aby Taiyab, the Khulna Bureau Chief of NTV news, has been arrested in connection with a case filed under the controversial Digital Security Act (DSA). Aby was picked up from his residence in Khulna's Nur Nagar area late on Tuesday night by a police team. "He was arrested around 10.30 pm," said Ahsraful Alam, officer-in-charge of Khulna Police Station. Also Read: Keraniganj's Jugantor journo arrested in Digital Security Act On Tuesday afternoon, Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukdar Abu Khalek, also the president of Awami League's Khulna city unit, filed a complaint against Abu for spreading propaganda against him on Facebook. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged by the police on the basis of that complaint. Also Read: DSA case against journalist Kajol shifted to Cyber Tribunal

Twitter said on Wednesday that it has suspended a portion of Indian accounts after it was served with several separate blocking orders by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the last 10 days related to massive farmer protests.

Russia has announced the successful countrywide test of an alternative to global internet as experts fear that the policy could lead to repression of free speech.