ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak has announced that social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, will resume operations in Bangladesh today.
This decision follows a virtual meeting between the state minister and representatives of Meta Asia from Singapore. Subsequently, Palak, along with officials from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), met with a delegation from TikTok at the BTRC’s Agargaon office in the capital.
After these meetings, Palak convened with top telecommunications officials at the BTRC office. Around noon, he held a press conference to disclose the government’s decision on the use of social media platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Google, and YouTube in the country.
The government expressed concerns about the spread of misinformation that incited violence during recent student protests. Social media platforms have committed to cooperating with the Bangladesh government in line with Meta and TikTok community standards and the country’s laws.
YouTube’s parent company, Google, was also contacted to ensure compliance with local laws and its policies on removing inflammatory content promoting misinformation. In a written response, Google assured compliance but requested additional time to discuss specific points.
