The rumour identification and prevention cell of the government has issued a statement identifying fake news on the Bangabandhu satellite that went viral on the social media.
The special unit of the information ministry that emerged in September has identified the fake news for the first time and informed the media.
The report titled “Bangabandhu satellite went missing” on the social media and other online portals is a rumour, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
“French company Thales Alenia Space has handed over the control of Bangabandhu Satellite-1 to Bangladesh. Bangladesh Television has been successfully broadcasting its programmes daily using the frequency of the satellite,” it said.
“Therefore, the report titled ‘Bangabandhu Satellite -1 missing’ is a rumour that has been spread intentionally.”
The information ministry urged the people not to be misled by it.
The government formed the cell under the information ministry to prevent ‘false online propaganda’ from spreading prior to the election, as it had been the case during the campaign for safer roads by the students in August and September.
The cell will work for 24 hours, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim said that time. It will identify and issue a press note within three hours of a rumour posted on the social media, she said.
ATMBD24.website, SB24.news, DLonlinetv.com and prothombangladesh.net were found publishing the report after a search for it following the press note from the information ministry.
The fake news was shared in Facebook pages, including Basher Kella, a page used for Jamaat-e-Islami campaigns, reports bdnews24.
ATMBD24.website shared the report from a Facebook page bearing the logo of BBC Bengali.
