2024-05-11 11:58:00
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak advised to verify personal Facebook pages and YouTube channels of ministers-MPs to stop false propaganda with fake ID.
Addressing the MPs and Ministers, the State Minister said, if you send your personal Facebook account, YouTube channel for verification, we will verify it. As a result, no one can spread misinformation on your behalf with a fake ID.
The State Minister said this in response to a supplementary question by Independent Member of Parliament Muhammad Saiful Islam during the question and answer session of the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday (May 9).
Earlier, Saiful Islam said in his supplementary question that people’s representatives and businessmen are being impersonated by opening fake Facebook IDs, and playing with people’s honor by opening YouTube IDs. He wants to know about the steps taken by the ministry to stop it.
In response, the ICT State Minister said that this problem is not only in Bangladesh, it is a problem of the whole world where wrong information, phishing and masking crimes are being committed through social media or new media. Many people are losing their lives due to misinformation and rumours. Many are choosing to commit suicide. The names of parliamentarians and politicians are spread. Students, sisters, daughters make many deepfake videos or photoshop their images and spread propaganda, defamatory content on social media. For which many students and girls have to give their lives. For that, Cyber Security Act has been made as per the need of time. If someone is aggrieved, he can take legal recourse.
He said to the MP-ministers, send your personal Facebook account, YouTube channel for verification, then we will do it. As a result, no one can spread misinformation on your behalf with a fake ID. Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and other companies are multinational, their offices are not registered in Bangladesh. This is why I am enacting the Personal Protection Act. So that the information of any person or organization in Bangladesh cannot be taken out of the country without permission and cannot be misused. Strict action will be taken in case of complaint.
In response to the supplementary question of Independent MP Syed Syedul Haque Sumon, the ICT State Minister said that the cost of internet in Bangladesh is cheaper than other countries. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ICT Advisor Sajib Wazed Joy contributed. The ICT state minister also claimed that 98 percent of Bangladesh’s area is covered by 4G network. He said, now there are 19 crore SIM users.
In response to the question of M. Abdul Latif of Chittagong-11 Constituency, the State Minister for Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology said that the loss of the Bangladesh Postal Department in the fiscal year 2022-23 is Tk 752 crore 42 lakh. In this financial year, the income was 201.5 million and the expenditure was Tk. 954 million.
The minister said that the commission on the sale of savings bonds is a major source of income for the Department of Posts. As a result of the government’s decision to reduce the commission on savings cards from 0.5% to 0.5% from September 16, 2021, income has decreased by more than 90%. As a result, the income of the postal department has decreased drastically. In the financial year 2021-22, the income from the sale of savings bonds was Tk 130 crore 36 lakh. In the financial year 2022-23, the income was Tk 9 crore 91 lakh.