The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (BTRC) has submitted the final draft of regulation for the digital, social media and OTT platforms before a High Court bench.
The draft of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platforms was submitted to the High Court bench of Justice J B M Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil on Wednesday complying with its earlier order.
Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib submitted the draft on behalf of the BTRC.
The draft regulations prohibit social media from posting anything that threatens friendly relations with foreign states.
Information that creates enmity, hatred, or hostility among different classes or communities of the society or destroys communal harmony or creates unrest or disorder or deteriorates or advances to deteriorate the law and order situation has also been prohibited in the draft.
Earlier on June 13, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting submitted another draft on the same issue and sought time to update it. Considering the time prayer, the court fixed November 29 as the next date of order over the matter.
Mr Reza-E-Raquib said, “The final draft of the policy has been prepared by talking to various stakeholders, incorporating some of their views.”
Challenging the inaction of the concerned government bodies in stopping the presentation of obscene and questionable content and films by the OTT (over the top) platforms, Supreme Court lawyer Md Tanvir Ahmed filed a writ petition on July 12 in 2020 as public interest litigation.
Upon hearing the petition, the High Court on January 18 in 2021 ordered the government to enact a draft regulation to monitor and operate the over-the-top web-based platforms and to collect revenue from those.
The Information Secretary and the Chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had been directed to prepare the draft policy and submit it to the court within three months.
