The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has taken an initiative to ban “harmful” online games such as PUBG and Free Fire in the country following a High Court directive.
BTRC Vice Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra on Wednesday told reporters that they started the process after receiving the court order on Tuesday.
“We have already asked the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) to take action to block PUBG and Free Fire [from the country’s online space],” he said.
The telecom regulator was also preparing a list of harmful online apps, including TikTok, Bigo Live and Likee, Maitra said.
He said they were currently evaluating and reviewing which apps were to be brought under this list.
Maitra added that they will block the apps they can. “But we may not be able to ban all of them due to technical shortcomings. In that case, we will write to the concerned authorities and consult or outsource the task to those who can."
Also Read: High Court to govt: Ban TikTok, PUBG, Free Fire, other dangerous apps
On August 16, the High Court had an immediate removal of all “destructive” or harmful games and mobile applications -- including TikTok, PUBG, Free Fire, Bigo Live and Likee -- from online platforms.
The court also issued a ruling asking why such online games and social media-based mobile apps should not be banned from the country’s online space.
Secretaries to the Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry, education, law and health ministries, the BTRC chairman, the inspector general of police, Bangladesh Bank, bKash, Nagad and 18 other individuals and organizations were ordered to respond to the rule within 10 days.
Earlier, on June 19, on behalf of rights organization Law and Life Foundation, Supreme Court lawyers Md Humayun Kabir Pallab and Md Kawser had sent a legal notice to the government seeking a ban on these games, short video sharing apps and live streaming platforms.
In the petition, they said that the country’s youths and adolescents are becoming addicted to online games such as PUBG and Free Fire, and various online platforms like TikTok, Likee and Bigo Live.
They termed the trend “alarming,” and highlighted the adverse effects of such mobile applications on the younger generations and also shed light on the opportunities they provide for criminal activities.
On June 24, after not getting any response from the authorities, they filed a petition with the High Court seeking its directive.
