Govt asks BTRC to block online platforms of Awami League, affiliates

The government has initiated steps to block the websites and social media platforms of the Bangladesh Awami League and all its affiliated, associate, and fraternal organisations.

The National Cyber Security Agency issued a letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to take action in this regard on Tuesday, said Faiz Ahmed Taiyab, special assistant to the chief adviser on posts, telecommunication and information technology.

The move follows a gazette notification issued on Monday banning all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated bodies until the trial of their leaders and activists at the International Crimes Tribunal is completed.

The notification, issued by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, restricted all forms of activities, including publications, campaigns, rallies, meetings, and conferences, by these organisations across media, online platforms, and social media.

The action was taken under the authority of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance.

On the same day, the election commission suspended the registration of the Awami League as a political party.

According to sources at the National Cyber Security Agency and BTRC, letters will soon be sent to relevant social media platforms requesting the blocking of accounts linked to the Awami League and its affiliated and fraternal organisations, citing the government’s directive and relevant laws.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Sunday, Faiz Ahmed Taiyab said after the notification, steps will be taken to block the party’s accounts on social media platforms via BTRC.

He, however, acknowledged that the government does not have direct control over all platforms. It can only block websites.

He explained that governments of different countries request companies like Meta and Google to remove content or restrict access to pages. These platforms review such requests against their community guidelines and policies before taking action.

According to Meta’s latest transparency report, between January and June 2024, the platform restricted access to 2,940 items in Bangladesh following BTRC requests made during the Awami League government.

Meanwhile, Google's latest transparency report shows that Bangladesh submitted 490 content removal requests involving 5,827 items in 2024. Of these, 337 requests were made in the first six months of the year, during which Google took no action in 68.2 per cent of cases. In the latter half, the non-compliance rate dropped to 45.8 per cent.