Alongside different government agencies, the Election Commission will also monitor social media to check fake news and propaganda ahead of the 11th parliamentary elections, said an Election Commission official.
Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed made the statement in briefing the press after a meeting at the secretariat in Agargaon on Sunday.
Helal said: “If anyone spreads propaganda on social media, legal action will be taken as per the Digital Security Act and other existing laws.”
Officials from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and other law enforcement agencies were present at the meeting.
The commission secretary said the administration has already started monitoring social media round the clock to prevent fake news and propaganda before the election.
Also read - EC secretary: Legal actions will be taken for spreading propaganda
"We will form a monitoring team of our own comprised of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) officials. It will work from tomorrow (Monday) onwards alongside others so that the elections are not affected by the misuse of social media."
On November 26, the commission also held a meeting with representatives of the BTRC and National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), and top officials of other law enforcement agencies and mobile carriers in this regard.
At the meeting, the Commission asked the authorities concerned to monitor social media round-the-clock to check the spread of propaganda and rumours about the upcoming general elections.
The 11th general election is scheduled to be held across the country on December 30.
