Bangladesh asks Meta to intensify monitoring of provocative content until election

Ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary election and referendum, the Bangladesh government has written to Meta seeking strict action against provocative content on social media. The letter was sent on Friday by the National Cyber Security Agency, NCSA, stating that attempts are being made to derail the election by inciting violence using Meta platforms, including Facebook. Meta has been urged to maintain heightened monitoring of Bangladesh-related content until voting is completed in February next year.

The letter was addressed to Meta vice-president for public policy Simon Milner, regional director for public policy Sarim Aziz, and head of human rights policy Frederic Rosky.

The NCSA said that as Meta has no local office in Bangladesh, urgent regulatory and security-related communications are usually carried out through the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the NCSA.

The letter said Meta’s platforms are being used to incite violence in Bangladesh at a time when the country is undergoing a democratic transition, with online provocation translating into real-life violence. As a result, tension and instability across the country have increased at an alarming rate.

According to the NCSA, the ongoing political instability has already led to widespread violence. Although an interim government is trying to restore order and organise a credible and acceptable election, social media, particularly Facebook, is turning into a platform for calls to violence, intimidation and efforts to disrupt the polls.

The letter cited the tragic death of Osman Hadi, one of the key figures of the July uprising, and attacks on media organisations as examples. It said some individuals linked to the Awami League government publicly supported Hadi’s death on Facebook and called for violence against media organisations and journalists. Soon after such posts spread, offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were vandalised and set on fire, creating public panic and posing a serious threat to media freedom.

Bangladesh alleged that despite requests to deactivate several accounts identified as being involved in inciting and organising violence, Meta failed to take timely and effective action.

The letter warned that the unchecked spread of violent content poses a direct threat to national stability, social harmony, minority safety and media freedom, stressing that Meta’s responsibility is not only technical but also a crucial public duty.

In this context, Meta was urged to take specific steps, including acknowledging responsibility for preventing violence and social instability through its platforms, swiftly and strictly enforcing community standards on Bangladesh-related content, strengthening Bangla-language content moderation and sentiment analysis, and maintaining enhanced monitoring of Bangladesh-related content at least until the election concludes.

The letter also noted that Bangladesh has not held a genuinely participatory election for more than 17 years. The upcoming election is deeply linked to citizens’ lives, democratic rights, minority security and the country’s long-term stability, and Meta was urged to act responsibly and with urgency.

Meanwhile, Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, has called on the public to directly report any social media content containing calls for terrorism or violence. He said the National Cyber Security Agency will begin receiving complaints directly via WhatsApp and email from Saturday.