The BTRC has published the draft regulation on their website. It said Internet-based media outlets need to recruit staff in Bangladesh, have a physical contact address, take complaints and dispose of them in a timely manner. Specific content must be removed within 72 hours if the court and BTRC order.
If the Director General of the Digital Security Agency thinks that a content should not be allowed to be seen by people in an 'emergency' situation, then it can be ordered to be removed without a hearing.
At present, BTRC has to rely on them to remove any content from media like Facebook or YouTube. It can be seen that even after the instructions of BTRC, many times the concerned media does not remove the content. The removal depends on the media's own policy.
The High Court directed the BTRC to draft a regulation on these matters. BTRC lawyer Khandaker Reza-e Rakib said that the draft was prepared in this context. He said in the first light, it will be finalized after further analysis with the views and suggestions of all parties. He said the policies of India, Singapore, England, Malaysia and Thailand were considered during the drafting process. Note that the last time to comment on the draft is tomorrow, Friday.
What is in the draft
The BTRC says the new regulations are for all social media, digital media and all over the top (OTT) media. OTT refers to 'public' Internet content, services and apps that serve customers.
According to the 18-page draft regulations titled 'Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation-2021 for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platform', defense, security, sovereignty, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order and communal harmony Some cannot be promoted. We must refrain from propaganda against the war of liberation, the father of the nation, the national anthem or the national flag, and anything that hurts religious values. Pornography, privacy violations, and insulting and defamatory content may not be promoted.
Regarding the draft, Ananya Raihan, founder and chief executive officer of IT company Denet & iSocial, told Prothom Alo that preliminary observations suggest that the regulation has the potential for "moral policing".
The draft also states that even if the user removes the content prohibited in the regulation, 180 days should be reserved for investigation.
Recruitment of offices and officers
According to the draft, social media will have to appoint three officials who will live in Bangladesh. The name of the officer receiving the complaint and the way to contact him should be on the website and mobile phone app. The officer will receive the complaint within 24 hours and it will be disposed of within 20 days.
A compliance officer (compliance officer) residing in Bangladesh should also be appointed and there should be a representative for round-the-clock coordination with law enforcement and government officials.
Internet-based media have always said that their platform users can only see the sender and receiver of the message (encrypted). But the draft of the BTRC regulations says that if any message is exchanged in violation of the rules, the person who gave the relevant message first has to be identified subject to the direction of the court and BTRC. If the first person resides outside the country, then the person residing in the country will be charged as 'first'.
Information technology expert Sumon Ahmed Sabir said the definition of OTT platform was not properly explained in the draft regulations. Many things are unclear. If it is not made clear then this rule will also be questioned.
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