A light tap on the screen, and a whole life is turned upside down! The blessing of science that was supposed to be in the hands of people, has today transformed into an unstoppable monster. Social media, once just a bridge of communication, has today become a terrible death trap of rumors, propaganda and character assassination. Every day, billions of eyes are glued to the world of Facebook and YouTube, yet we have no control over the darkness hidden behind this immense power.
There are laws and accountability for the general media, but in this turbulent tide of social media, there is no regard for any rules. In particular, a new trap called ‘Reels’ on Facebook is now a sanctuary for criminals. Who, when, and from which part of the world uploaded a misleading or defamatory video, its whereabouts are unknown. In an instant, that poisonous content reaches the screens of millions of people, destroying the honor of society and individuals, yet finding the source of this crime is like an impenetrable puzzle.
In our country, traditional media outlets have to abide by the Press and Publications Act, where there is legal recourse against any wrongdoing. But world-shaking tech giants like Facebook, YouTube, and Google have no institutional presence in this country. They are not bound by any rules, because they have no homes or offices in this country. As a result, they are running a parallel empire above all laws.
Anyone who hears the number will be shocked, the number of internet users in Bangladesh has now exceeded 100 million, of which about 75 million people are pouring their time and effort behind Facebook. The rulers of Silicon Valley are taking billions of taka in revenue from this huge population every year. Bangladesh is a huge gold mine for them, but despite grabbing billions of dollars from this mine, they did not consider it necessary to open a representative office to ensure the security of the people of this country.
Whenever an offensive image, provocative statement or a dirty video created with artificial intelligence spreads on the internet, our regulatory body BTRC plays the role of a helpless spectator. They just have to send emails. They have to sit day after day at the mercy of the tech giants and their so-called ‘community standards’. By then, whatever damage is done is done; like a false fire, it burns and ruins the arranged family or social harmony.
But other countries in the world have not knelt down in front of this digital colonialism. The European Union has made Meta and Google understand by fining them billions of dollars how terrible the consequences of breaking their laws can be. Our neighboring country India has also forced these superpowers to submit through its own IT laws and established local offices. Even in countries like Germany or Australia, today, technology giants no longer dare to act arbitrarily.
The Bangladesh government, however, is now showing signs of moving. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that strict provisions are being added to the Cyber ​​Security Act to force these international organizations to take action within a certain time to remove harmful content. But the question remains, how do you apply the law to an organization that has no formal office in the country? Is it even possible to apply the internal laws of this country to an invisible force sitting outside the country, unless they can be forced to set up an office here?
We certainly want technological freedom, but in the name of that freedom, no one can be given a license to play with the lives of millions of people. Today, the way political propaganda, fake pictures and audio of women are being used to blackmail, using AI or artificial intelligence, is pushing society towards a deep moral decline. Our ordinary citizens are completely defenseless today in this invisible battlefield, where new cyber tragedies are being born every day.
It is time to break down this wall of helplessness. It is time to make it clear to Facebook and YouTube that if you want to do business in this country, you have to respect the people of this country and obey the laws here. They must be held accountable while maintaining the freedom of social media. Otherwise, our future generations will have to burn in the fire of this curse of technology, and we will only watch a digital devastation.
