The government has enabled the access to social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, two weeks after the services were suspended amid violent quota protests across the country.
The services resumed around 2:30pm on Wednesday, hours after the announcment from State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak Telecommunications Junaid Ahmed Palak.
Palak announced the decision after a meeting with representatives of Facebook's parent company Meta, YouTube and TikTok at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Office on Wednesday.
Despite the initial plan for an in-person meeting, no Facebook representatives arrived at the BTRC headquarters, prompting an online session with Meta's delegation, which included officials from their Asia headquarters in Singapore.
The meeting, chaired by State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, took place on Wednesday (31 July) morning at the BTRC building in Agargaon, Dhaka.
The session saw the participation of high-ranking officials from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, including its chairman.
Key discussion points covered the establishment of a Meta office in Bangladesh, enhancing fact-checking mechanisms to combat misinformation and disinformation, and other contemporary issues.
This virtual meeting followed a government summons issued on 28 July to Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, demanding explanations for certain video content related to the recent quota reform protests.
The government had also requested the presence of their representatives at the BTRC headquarters on 31 July.
On 17 July, amid the protests demanding the abolition of job quotas, the government shut down broadband, mobile internet, and social media platforms to curb the spread of misinformation and rumours.
As the situation normalised, the government restored mobile internet services last Sunday.
Prior to this, on the night of 21 July broadband internet services were restored nationwide.
Later, after a meeting with the Association of Mobile Phone Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) and intelligence agencies at the BTRC conference room, State Minister for Telecommunication and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak hinted at the resumption of social media platforms alongside mobile internet, though with some conditions.
Last Saturday, the government sent a letter to Facebook, detailing incidents of violence, misinformation, and rumours that it believes led to chaos in the country over the past month and requested the removal of certain content.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, “They blocked 50 pages and accounts associated with the Awami League. However, similar content from the BNP remains unaddressed. Facebook has not taken responsible action regarding incidents of arson, terrorism, and murder. Several hours after false information and rumours were spread via Facebook, five people died. Can Facebook avoid responsibility for this?”
Palak added, “We have asked for a written and verbal explanation from them. A decision will be made once they come to Dhaka and provide a proper explanation regarding these issues.”
