Urgent Action Needed to Halt Rising Cyber Propaganda

THERE has been an alarming rise in the tendency of organized groups to disseminate orchestrated misinformation or narratives immediately following any event in the country’s political and social spheres.

According to data from Rumor Scanner, 3,210 instances of misinformation were detected in the first six months of 2026.

From the recent attempt to give a communal spin to the killing of the teenager Opratim in Cumilla to the claim that Madhur Canteen is ‘Isharat Manzil’, or the disinformation campaign regarding visa restrictions linked to the Prime Minister’s foreign visits.

Each of these incidents demonstrates how cyber propaganda is being weaponized to mislead and divide society.

The most regrettable aspect of this entire process is the failure of the relevant government departments to take prompt action immediately after an incident occurs.

Instead, they remain mere spectators. Consequently, the resulting information vacuum is filled by speculation, rumours, and political propaganda.

Even though discussions in mainstream media or talk shows eventually took place, by then, misinformation had already taken deep root in the public consciousness.

Had the relevant government departments presented the true picture, verified facts, and necessary explanations to the public at the very outset, the scope for generating misinformation would have been significantly reduced.

Experts in digital forensics and rumour analysis say, the primary reason for the government lagging behind in this information war is the lack of rapid and coordinated information dissemination.

An effective way to counter propaganda is to rapidly generate fact-based counter-narratives.

This challenge must be addressed not by resorting to suppressing voices, but by disseminating information grounded in truth and evidence.

To this end, it is essential for the government to establish a dedicated fact-checking platform-supported by technology and machine learning-that operates around the clock to identify misinformation and present the accurate picture of events to the nation.

Simultaneously, a special team comprising skilled personnel must be tasked with immediately verifying factual information from the ground level.

It is a welcome development that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has expressed interest in establishing an office in Dhaka to help curb misinformation and digital harassment.

Once Meta establishes an office in Dhaka, it will be much easier for relevant government agencies to communicate directly to ensure the swift removal of objectionable content and to verify the authenticity of information.

In a democratic society, false information and incitement to hatred or violence are by no means acceptable.

Therefore, the time has come for the government to formulate a proactive, technology-driven, and integrated communication strategy.

Only then it will be possible to counter the ongoing information war and ensure an environment of stability and trust.