State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak urged lawmakers and government officials to verify their social media IDs to distinguish between original accounts and eliminate fake ones.
He made these remarks while responding to questions from lawmakers at the National Parliament on Thursday.
Additionally, he noted that risks and trends related to cybercrime are increasing in line with Bangladesh's digital progress.
Independent lawmaker Saiful Islam of Dhaka-19 inquired about the role of the ministry in removing fake Facebook and YouTube IDs.
In response, the ICT State Minister said: "Scamming, spreading hate speech, and rumors are common on social media platforms worldwide."
"Not only politicians, but female students also suffer from deepfake videos and pictures," he added.
Palak highlighted the importance of the Digital Security Act bill, enabling victims to take legal action against such offenses.
He also mentioned a forthcoming law, the Personal Data Protection Act, aimed at safeguarding the data security of the citizens on various platforms.
Palak requested MPs to provide their real Facebook and YouTube IDs for verification to prevent the creation of fake accounts using their names.
As there are no physical offices for social media companies like Facebook and YouTube in Bangladesh, the state minister informed the Parliament that the ministry regularly communicates with their officials to address such issues.
In response to another question from independent MP Abul Kalam Azad, the state minister said: "Our cyber response team, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), and intelligence agencies work in a coordinated manner to tackle cyber-related issues. We have already blocked 23,000 gambling and pornographic sites, and our teams operate 24/7 to combat cybercrimes. While we have successfully countered some crimes, it's an ongoing effort."
Palak encouraged citizens to dial 333 if they encounter any cybersecurity-related problems.
