Works on to formulate digital act for stopping fake news: Law Minister
Law Minister Anisul Huq said, the government is working for formulating digital security act to stop airing and publishing fake news. Formation of cyber court and information cell to prevent rumors as well as initiatives have been taken for registration of online news portals for their accountability. At the same time the government is working to formulate online policy.
He said these as the chief guest at a discussion titled 'Fake news and Hate speech, Causes and Consequences: How it subverts our democratic systems' at Cosmos Center at Malibagh in the capital on Saturday. Cosmos Foundation organized the program.
The Law Minister said, fake news are published in our country with five intentions. The intentions are-spreading communal rumors, extreme political religious lying, to hurt the political opponent, creating panic in public mind and spreading nonscientific imaginary matters. Of these intentions the number five is not harmful but the rest four have violent influence for spreading fake news.
The Law Minister also said, the persons involved in fake news should be brought under punishment and their financial source should be found out. To stop airing and publishing fake news BTRC, ICT division, police department and the intelligence agencies of the government are working. In this regard the mainstream media have important role to play.
The meeting presided over by Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan where Chief Researcher of Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and president of Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy Dan Shefet also delivered speeches.
AH
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