Nahid seeks EU support to stop spreading misinformation on student uprising

Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md Nahid Islam today (27 October) sought cooperation of the European Commission (EU) to stop spreading misinformation on the student-people uprising and complete trial of mass murderers.
 
"We want EU cooperation to stop spreading of various misinformation about the mass uprising across the world and complete the trial process of the mass-killing properly," he said when an EU delegation, led by Ambassador Michael Miller, called on him at his office.
 
He also urged the EU to extend support for providing treatment and rehabilitation to the people who received injuries during the uprising.
 
Michael Miller extended their support to the interim government, saying that he came to talk about basic human rights, digitisation, media reform and the election process.
 
"The interim government will complete all the reform processes and complete the democratic election process," Miller expressed hope.
 
The adviser said they are considering the issue of political reforms with priority, as if the reforms are not done properly, the election will not be fruitful.
 
"We want democratic transition as soon as possible," he said, adding, "Before that, we want to bring some basic reforms."
 
He continued, "Our main challenge now is to bring economic stability and the law and order situation under control."
 
About development projects, Nahid Islam said ongoing projects with development partners will continue, but some projects are being re-evaluated.
 
Mentioning that they are interested in working jointly with Bangladesh on cyber security, e-governance, digital infrastructure, data protection, IT, the EU ambassador said they are ready to give advice on any technical issue.
 
He also said an agreement was signed with the ICT division for a project on e-Effective Governance involving 10 million euros.
 
The envoy also expressed interest in working to prevent the spreading of misinformation on social media, as the adviser sought EU cooperation in stopping online propaganda.
 
Nahid Islam said that the issue of enhancing the quality and professionalism of the media is being considered.
 
"It's not possible to enhance the quality and professionalism of media by the government or law alone," he said, mentioning that professionalism in the media requires training.
 
He said security and salary structures are being considered to attract young talent to working in media.

The adviser said that media freedom and reform are the main goals of the interim government. "Already, the Media Reform Commission has been formed to ensure the freedom of the media... an outline of reforms will be developed based on the consensus and suggestions from stakeholders," he added.
 
Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Dr Md Mushfiqur Rahman, ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury, Embassy program manager Fani Farmaki and senior officials of the ministry were present.