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and accountability are often compromised, making online spaces increasingly hostile,” she said.

VISUALS OVERRIDE STORY

An analysis of the 100 reels shows that even when captions appear neutral or informational, the visuals often tell a different story.

Across many posts, zoom-ins, slow motion, and selective framing are used not to document events but to redirect attention to women’s bodies, stripping away the original context.

For example, a page named Ovijatra posted a reel of Meghna Alam with the caption, “Meghna Alam joins VP Nur’s party.”

While the caption suggested a political development, the footage itself focused largely on close, body-centred shots rather than the event it claimed to report. The page has uploaded several similar videos featuring other women, following the same visual pattern.

Academics have also been targeted.

A Facebook page initially called News Bangla BD, and later renamed Binodon Bangla, posted at least 15 reels of Shehreen Amin Bhuiyan during Pahela Baishakh celebrations. The videos contained unnecessary close-ups and body-focused framing.

Speaking to The Daily Star, she described the experience as deeply unsettling.

“They record videos without any consent, either from very close or by zooming in from a distance. They film from behind or from the side, thinking it will bring views and followers. It feels extremely uncomfortable,” she said.

In some cases, captions went beyond neutral descriptions, using suggestive lines that further objectified women captured in unguarded moments. Phrases such as “it is hard to fool the legend’s eyes” and “what did the beautiful actress do in front of everyone?” were used to frame the footage.

Audience responses frequently amplified the harm. A review of comment sections across multiple reels shows that many responses are unfit for publication, with users posting sexually explicit remarks targeting women’s bodies and character rather than engaging with any reported context.

This pattern appeared consistently across most of the pages reviewed.

“A DIGITAL DISORDER”

The Daily Star sent messages to six Facebook pages that present themselves as media outlets but received no response. The newspaper also called the administrators of three other pages. While two responded to queries, one did not answer phone calls despite repeated attempts.

One page called News Bangla BD listed a physical office address at “Hassan Plaza, 53 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka”. A visit to the location, however, found no organisation operating under that name.

When asked about the rationale behind repeatedly posting such reels, an administrator of Daily Biplobi Kantho, Tamim Nisad, acknowledged that the content was driven by audience growth rather than editorial judgment.

“The page is new, so we are posting more reels to increase our followers,” he told The Daily Star. “She [Keya Payel] is a popular actress, which is why more content featuring her has been shared.”

He said the page was not yet a registered media outlet but claimed that documents for registration were being prepared.

Media experts warn that these practices reflect a broader and more troubling shift.

Abdullah Al Mamun said, “This is a highly negative development, and it has increased sharply in recent months. What we are seeing is a systematic use of digital platforms to target individuals under the guise of media activity.”

According to Mamun, the phenomenon goes beyond isolated instances of unethical content. He said some actors appear to be using such material strategically to dominate digital spaces, suppress critical voices, and consolidate influence.

“Addressing this growing digital disorder requires proactive intervention,” he said, calling for more effective oversight and accountability mechanisms to curb abuse on digital platforms.

‘SAFE HARBOUR’

The pattern of content observed across these pages raises questions about the enforcement of Meta’s Community Standards on adult sexual exploitation.

The policy explicitly prohibits the sharing of “secretly taken non-commercial imagery” that focuses on “commonly sexualised body parts”, particularly when circulated to sexualise or draw attention to an individual.

Meta also outlines enforcement tools such as visibility limits, account restrictions, and monetisation controls. Yet the continued presence and circulation of such content point to weak enforcement of these rules, allowing prohibited material to remain widely accessible on the platform.

Md Sayeed Al-Zaman, a researcher at the News and Media Research Centre at University of Canberra in Canberra, said these shortcomings are especially evident in non-Western contexts.

“Enforcement of these policies in countries like Bangladesh appears inadequate, partly due to contextual ambiguity and limitations in local-language moderation.”

He added that delayed and inconsistent responses to reported violations create “a safe harbour” for such actors.

“This allows harmful content to circulate widely, while accountability remains limited.”