The government of Bangladesh is planning to block popular social network Facebook for six hours, starting midnight. According to a report by a Bangladeshi daily, the government is considering the step for the ‘betterment of students and youth’.
As per a report by The Daily Star, the cabinet has forwarded a letter to Telecom Ministry, saying that Facebook is “affecting the students” and “dimming the working capabilities of the youths”.
The report further adds that the telecom division has asked Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s opinion on the issue.
Shyam Sunder Sikder, secretary of the telecom division, confirmed to The Daily Star that the telecom division has received the letter and will have to assess whether the decision will hamper the business communications.
According to The Daily Star’s report, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has said that the ban should not be imposed. The regulatory body feels that instead of imposing ban on the social network, the government should try involving parents and educational institutions in this matter.
BTRC has further stated that blocking of Facebook will be ineffective when other services like WhatsApp, Viber are there. Moreover, the blocking will hamper the businesses of people who rely on Facebook.
As per the report, BTRC has recommended that parents should use parental control software, security software and privacy features to stop their children from accessing Facebook.
This is not the first time that the Bangladesh government is thinking of banning a digital service. In 2012, the government had imposed a ban of 260 days on video-sharing platform YouTube.
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