The Right to Know Must Also Mean the Right to Accurate Information

Every day, millions of Bangladeshis are exposed to an overwhelming flood of information, much of which is false, misleading, manipulated or deliberately fabricated.

Fake news and misinformation are no longer harmless rumours; they are affecting people’s decisions, creating fear and confusion, damaging reputations, provoking social tension and undermining trust in institutions.

Young people are particularly vulnerable because they spend a large part of their lives on social media, where sensational and emotional content often spreads faster than verified information.

Many are being misled about politics, health, education, employment, social values and even their future. Confusion is replacing facts, rumours are replacing evidence and manipulation is replacing informed judgment.

Protecting citizens, especially the younger generation, from this growing information disorder must therefore become an urgent responsibility of the government, digital platforms, media organisations and society.

The problem is becoming more dangerous because people often cannot distinguish genuine information from deliberately manufactured content. Misinformation may be false information shared without an intention to deceive, while disinformation involves deliberately creating or distributing false or manipulated information to mislead people or achieve political, financial or other objectives. Maliformation involves using genuine information in a misleading or harmful context.

In Bangladesh, people increasingly encounter fabricated photographs, edited videos, false quotations, fake government notices, manipulated documents, impersonation accounts and AI-generated content.

Organised groups and vested interests can exploit these techniques to influence public opinion, damage reputations, create communal tension, spread panic, manipulate political debate and undermine confidence in democratic institutions.

The consequences are not merely virtual. A fabricated allegation can destroy a person’s reputation. A false health claim can cause people to reject proper medical advice. A fake job announcement can exploit unemployed young people.

False information about elections or public institutions can undermine public confidence. Rumours concerning religious or communal issues can create serious tension and, in extreme circumstances, contribute to violence.

Young people are particularly exposed. Social media has become a major source of news and information for many young Bangladeshis. Short videos, posts and messages often receive more attention than carefully verified journalism.

Digital platforms are designed to maximise engagement, and sensational content can therefore spread rapidly regardless of its accuracy.

False information can reach millions before journalists or fact-checkers have an opportunity to verify it.

The government has a clear responsibility to protect citizens from organised and harmful information manipulation.

This does not mean controlling what people think or suppressing legitimate criticism. The state’s responsibility is to ensure that citizens have access to timely, accurate and verifiable information so that they can make informed decisions.

Bangladesh’s Constitution protects freedom of thought, speech and expression and freedom of the press under Article 39, subject to specified reasonable restrictions.

Any action against disinformation must therefore respect these fundamental rights. At the same time, freedom of expression cannot be used as a shield for organised actors deliberately deceiving citizens and causing serious harm.

The government’s first responsibility should be to provide reliable information itself. Ministries, departments and public institutions should maintain updated websites and verified social media accounts and respond quickly when false information concerns public health, disasters, public security, elections or other matters of national importance. When authorities remain silent or provide information too late, rumours can quickly fill the information vacuum.

Bangladesh urgently needs a single national reporting and verification mechanism where citizens can report suspected disinformation.

An ordinary citizen should not have to determine whether a complaint belongs with the police, a ministry or another authority.

A national online portal and hotline could allow citizens to submit suspicious posts, photographs, videos, audio recordings or website links. Each complaint should receive a tracking number and be referred to the appropriate authority.

Complaints involving imminent threats to life, communal violence, election manipulation, public health emergencies, financial fraud or serious public disorder should receive immediate attention.

The system should provide a clear response explaining whether the information was verified, found to be false, misleading or unsubstantiated, and what action was taken.

The law must distinguish deliberate disinformation from an honest mistake, legitimate criticism, political opinion, satire or a disputed interpretation of facts. Otherwise, legislation intended to protect citizens could become an instrument for suppressing journalism and freedom of expression.

Any restriction on content should therefore be based on clearly defined law, credible evidence, due process, judicial oversight and a right of appeal.

Bangladesh can learn from international experience. Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, or POFMA, provides mechanisms for responding to online falsehoods.

One important tool is a correction direction requiring clarification to be placed alongside disputed content rather than automatically removing the original material. Citizens can also report suspected falsehoods through an official mechanism.

India provides another example through the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit, which verifies information concerning the Government of India and allows citizens to submit suspicious information through official channels.

The European Union has adopted a broader approach through the Digital Services Act, placing greater responsibility on major online platforms to address systemic risks associated with their services, including risks related to disinformation.

Bangladesh should learn from these approaches while developing a system suited to its own democratic and social realities.

Digital platforms also have responsibilities. Major platforms operating in Bangladesh should provide effective Bangla-language reporting mechanisms, respond quickly to credible complaints involving serious harm and cooperate with lawful investigations. At the same time, users’ privacy and freedom of expression must be protected.

Potential sources for monitoring and strengthening Bangladesh’s response include the Information Commission Bangladesh, National Cyber Security Agency, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of ICT and Telecommunications, Bangladesh Police and relevant parliamentary and judicial records. Independent media organisations, fact-checking groups, universities and civil society organisations should also contribute evidence and expertise.

The greatest danger is not simply that citizens will encounter false information. It is that continuous exposure to conflicting and manipulated information will eventually make people distrust everything. When citizens cannot distinguish truth from fabrication, democracy, public health, social stability and responsible citizenship all suffer.

The government therefore has a duty to act not by deciding what citizens should believe, but by ensuring that citizens have access to evidence, reliable information and independent verification.

Bangladesh needs a comprehensive national strategy combining transparent government communication, independent fact-checking, accountable digital platforms, effective complaint mechanisms, digital literacy and narrowly defined legal punishment for deliberate and harmful deception.

The fight against fake news must be firm, but it must also be democratic. The right to information must be protected, but citizens must also be protected from deliberate manipulation.

Bangladesh must ensure that people are not only free to receive information but also have the means to determine whether that information is true. The right to know is meaningful only when citizens can distinguish fact from fabrication, information from manipulation and truth from deliberate deception.

(The writer is the Editor and CEO of News Network)