Posts and Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam on Monday said the government is set to amend the Cyber Security Act to strengthen coordination with international technology platforms for the removal of defamatory and character-assassination content from social media.
Responding to a notice raised by treasury bench member Salina Sultana from reserved women’s seat 35 in Parliament, he said the Prime Minister has constituted a five-member cabinet committee to examine the issue and it is expected to take a decision shortly.
The minister said international social media platforms, including YouTube and TikTok, generally cooperate in removing content that threatens national security, public order or religious sentiments.
However, they are comparatively reluctant to remove content that defames or maligns individuals, he said.
Mahbub Anam said the government, through the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), has held several rounds of discussions with the platforms concerned, but the desired level of cooperation in removing defamatory content targeting individuals has yet to be achieved.
To address the issue, he said the government has initiated efforts to formulate time-bound content takedown agreements and related policy guidelines with international technology companies.
Highlighting emerging technological challenges, the minister said the rapid advancement of technology has led to a rise in the creation and spread of defamatory and misleading content using deepfakes and AI-generated or AI-edited images, videos and audio.
In response, the government has undertaken initiatives to update and strengthen the Cyber Security Act through necessary amendments, he said.
Under the proposed amendments, AI-generated or AI-manipulated defamatory content will be explicitly recognised as an offence, penalties will be enhanced and a clear legal definition of defamation will be incorporated into the law, Mahbub Anam said.
The revised law will also cover the dissemination of false, distorted or misleading information intended to deceive or harm individuals, institutions or the state, while making provisions for the prompt removal of rumours, misinformation and defamatory content more explicit, he said.
The minister also said the government has strengthened cybersecurity services by establishing cybersecurity help desks at district and upazila levels, forming Teenage Cyber Crime Prevention Committees and introducing a Cyber Incident Reporting System.
