BanglaFact has also identified more than 800 Facebook accounts, over 100 X accounts and 19 websites impersonating media outlets or spreading false and misleading information.
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury speaks in parliament. File photo: Screengrab
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State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury speaks in parliament. File photo: Screengrab
The Press Institute Bangladesh’s (PIB) digital initiative BanglaFact has identified 137 fake Facebook accounts, pages and groups using the name and photographs of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury told parliament today (11 November).
The initiative has also identified more than 800 Facebook accounts and over 100 accounts on X spreading false and misleading information, along with 19 websites impersonating newspapers and television channels to disseminate propaganda.
The state minister disclosed the figures in response to a starred question from reserved-seat MP Shirin Sultana during the third day of the fourth session of parliament.
He said BanglaFact had published 1,172 fact-checks, analyses and investigative reports to counter online misinformation, hate speech and character assassination attempts. Of these, 552 were published after the current government took office.
BanglaFact currently verifies an average of three to five claims daily, publishing fact-check reports, reels and videos, Yaser said.
Shirin asked what steps the ministry had taken to raise awareness, ensure prompt resolution of complaints and strengthen coordination among relevant agencies to prevent doctored images of women from circulating online, defamation and blackmail through fake accounts, and online harassment of children.
In response, the state minister said the government was undertaking various initiatives to raise public awareness and address such online abuses.
A fact-checking manual will soon be published to help members of the public and media professionals verify information, he added.
The ministry is also regularly publishing features and awareness messages on the official Facebook page of the Department of Mass Communication and in national dailies, based on information provided by public relations officers of different ministries.
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