STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The BTRC has drafted an ordinance to enable the government to punish social media platforms for activities deemed harmful to national unity, security, and public order.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has included this provision in its draft of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.

Under the newly proposed section “66-ka”, any person using telecommunication or wireless equipment, or any digital or electronic medium, to transmit signals, messages, calls, or content that is considered anti-national, seditious, or capable of inciting hatred, division, unrest, or fear among the public, or harmful to Bangladesh’s sovereignty, defence, foreign relations, public security, public order, rule of law, or economic interests, will be committing an offence.

The penalty would be up to five years in prison, or a fine of up to Tk 300 crore, or both.

The clause also extends liability to any intermediary or social media intermediary that engages in or facilitates such acts.

According to the draft, a “social media intermediary” means an intermediary primarily or solely used for online communication between two or more users and that allows such users to create, upload, respond to, disseminate, or modify user-generated content on the platform.

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