Meta to assist EC prevent election related disinformation on Facebook

Meta – the owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp – will prevent the spread of disinformation that promotes sectarianism and hatred centring the national election, said sources.

"If the Election Commission thinks that a content is negative, Facebook will review and, if necessary, remove it," Election Commission's Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath told reporters after a meeting with a three-member delegation of Meta in the capital yesterday.

The implementation of the measure is anticipated to commence following the official announcement of the election schedule.

Terming yesterday's meeting a preliminary discussion, the Election Commission additional secretary said they will soon appoint a designated focal point within the commission to continue the communication with Facebook.

The central challenge addressed during the meeting was the formulation of strategies to effectively prevent the propagation of disinformation on the platform, Ashok Kumar Debnath said.

"The discussions revolved around mechanisms to promptly delete, remove, or block contents that violate community standards, especially content that incites hatred, promotes division, and breaches established regulations," he said.

Asked about the extent of their activities on social media, Ashok Kumar Debnath said their actions would be limited to contents directly related to the election.

Responding to inquiries about the initiative of holding the meeting, Ashok Kumar said that the impetus came from Facebook authorities themselves.

Ruzan Sarwar, head of Public Policy, Bangladesh, led the Facebook delegation which included Head of APAC Global Response Aidan Hoy and Regulatory Specialist Eugene Poh.

Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath, DEA-2 Project Director Brigadier General Abul Hasnat Mohammad Sayem, and NID System Manager Muhammad Ashraf Hossain represented the Election Commission in the meeting.