‘Social media misuse fuels fraud, violence’

The misuse of social media is a complex and multifaceted challenge as a reflection of various social issues appears on these platforms, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari has said.

He said social media misuse sometimes crosses the limits of cruelty, while platforms like Facebook have become more powerful than many small states due to their ability to connect people instantly across the globe.

The BTRC chairman made the remarks on Saturday while addressing a shadow parliament titled “Social Instability is Increasing Due to the Misuse of Social Media”, organised by Debate for Democracy at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC).

He stressed the need for greater public awareness and respect for personal privacy to prevent the misuse of social media. He said freedom of expression must be accompanied by restraint.

“Criminals use social media for defamation, financial fraud, spreading hatred and inciting violence,” he said.

Mentioning online fraud cases involving organisations such as Destiny and Evaly, Emdad Ul Bari said criminals often exploit digital platforms to deceive people financially.

He said identifying the channels used for online gambling transactions would make it easier to track down offenders.

The recently passed law against gambling could play an important role in controlling such crimes, he added.

The BTRC chairman said the commission blocked 26,000 online gambling sites and removed 20,000 hateful contents from various platforms last year.

In the shadow parliament debate competition, Stamford University Bangladesh emerged champion after defeating Manarat International University.

Judges included Prof Abu Muhammad Rais, Rokeya Parveen Jui, Dr SM Morshed, journalists Samir Kumar Dey and Monir Millat.

The participating teams were awarded trophies, crests and certificates after the competition.