Feni youth held under DSA for 'defaming' PM on Facebook
A Feni youth was handed over to police Monday and was arrested under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for "defaming" Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in a Facebook post.
Nurul Afsar, 26, is from Feni's Amirabad union and works as a bank office assistant in Janata Bank.
Feni upazila Secha Sebok League President Faruk Hossain took him to the police at 8pm for "defaming and tarnishing the image of the head of government."
Also read: Chakaria madrasa student arrested under DSA for video on PM
"On March 26, a Facebook page called 'AJ Limon Juktorajjo BNP' made an 'offensive' post about the prime ministers of Bangladesh and India. The accused wrote defamatory words about the prime ministers while commenting on that post," he said.
As Faruk came across the post, he handed over Afsar to Sonagazi Model Police Station and also filed a case against him under the Digital Security Act in connection with the incident, Sajedul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Model Police Station, confirmed.
Also read: Youth held under DSA for spreading PM’s distorted image online
Facebook data on more than 500M accounts found online
Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers.
The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is.
The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses.
Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years. In 2018, the social media giant disabled a feature that allowed users to search for one another via phone number following revelations that the political firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed information on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent.
Also read: Facebook launches Instagram Lite in Bangladesh
In December 2019, a Ukrainian security researcher reported finding a database with the names, phone numbers and unique user IDs of more than 267 million Facebook users — nearly all U.S.-based — on the open internet. It is unclear if the current data dump is related to this database.
Also read: Facebook oversight board to start operating in October
“This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019,” the Menlo Park, California-based company said in a statement. “We found and fixed this issue in August 2019.”
Cosmos Dialogue on Dhaka-Washington ties premieres Saturday on Facebook
Experts from Bangladesh and the United States have been brought together for an online symposium hosted by the Cosmos Foundation to assess the Dhaka-Washington relationship in its present context and identify the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the effort to take it forward. The keynote address at the symposium titled ‘The Biden Administration in the United States: Prognosis for the Future of Bangladesh-US Relations’ will be delivered by Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Asia Programme and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan will deliver the opening remarks at the event, which is set to premiere on the Facebook page of Cosmos Foundation this Saturday, April 3, at 8PM BdST (10AM EST). Renowned scholar-diplomat and adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury will chair the session.
Also read: Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh's relations with Nordic countries begins in city
The symposium is the latest instalment in Cosmos Foundation’s flagship ‘Dialogue’ series, in which a high-level expert panel is tasked with tackling pressing issues of the day, that has continued through the pandemic. Apart from the names mentioned above, the panel of discussants for the latest edition will comprise Ambassador Tariq Karim, Dr Nina Ahmad, Dr Ali Riaz, and Ambassador Serajul Islam. The full video of the event will be available for viewing on the Facebook page of Cosmos Foundation, and (elsewhere) from Saturday, April 3rd, 8PM BdST.
Also read: Cosmos Dialogue on Foreign Policy begins in city Before the pandemic hit, two-way trade between the United States and Bangladesh touched a record $9 billion, with the US remaining the largest single-country export destination for Bangladeshi products.
The potential of a relationship grounded in strong economic ties is proven, and the long-discussed US-Bangladesh Business Council is now very close to reality, with the US Chamber of Commerce set to host its launch in the first week of April. Bangladesh’s upcoming graduation from the list of Least Developed Countries has been well noted in the US media, and the Biden Administration’s outreach to Dhaka in Washington’s renewed commitment to fighting climate has been notable.
Also read: Cosmos dialogue on EU’s contemporary relevance begins Against this backdrop, Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of conglomerate the Cosmos Group, brings together the finest minds to arrive at a prognosis for the future of the relationship, in line with its commitment to eliciting strategic insights and policy solutions for Bangladesh as it charts its course toward a future that is ever-brighter.
Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13
Facebook says it is working on a version of its Instagram app for kids under 13, who are technically not allowed to use the app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations.
Social media conundrum – from reckless scrolling to responsible use
There is no denying that social media are having a moment as more and more people are opening accounts to be a social butterfly with every passing day. Nowadays, you will hardly find a man or woman who doesn’t have an account on any of the popular social networking sites. The trend is so popular now that even when people go out of their places to have an outing, say for in a restaurant, they remain glued to the screens. It seems, in contrast to the usual reality, social media are controlling the users’ thanks to the irresponsible use of social media by the netizens.
DSA case: HC grants bail to cartoonist Kishore
The High Court on Wednesday granted a six-month bail to cartoonist Kabir Kishore in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for ‘anti-government posts’ on Facebook.
Facebook signs pay deals with 3 Australian news publishers
Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news.
Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industry
Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to “support the news industry” over the next three years.
Facebook bans all Myanmar military-linked accounts and ads
Social media giant Facebook announced Thursday it was banning all accounts linked to Myanmar’s military as well as ads from military-controlled companies in the wake of the army’s seizure of power on Feb. 1.