Govt to meet Meta, Google to curb misleading content: Minister

Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam today (4 August) said the government will engage with technology companies, including Meta and Google, to curb the spread of online misinformation, disinformation and other harmful content targeting the government.

"Bullying, falsehoods and harassment on social media in the name of freedom of speech will be strictly controlled, and the government will not allow such activities to continue," he said while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the Cyber Incident Reporting System (CIRS) at the BCC auditorium in Agargaon.

With the growing use of digital technology across banking, healthcare, education, e-commerce and government services, the risks of cyberattacks, data theft, ransomware, online fraud and identity theft have also increased, the minister said, adding that the newly launched CIRS will allow citizens and organisations alike to report cyber incidents easily and quickly.

He described the platform as more than just a complaint-receiving system, calling it an initiative to build trust between citizens and the state.

Mahbub Anam said the accompanying National Rating System (NRS) will help assess the cybersecurity capacity of public and private institutions, identify vulnerabilities, support development planning and ensure safer digital services.

Launched under the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), the CIRS is a centralised, web-based platform accessible at report.ncsa.gov.bd, where individuals, institutions and authorised users can report cyber incidents, according to officials at the launch event.

Citizens will be able to lodge complaints related to hacking or unauthorised access, cyber fraud, online harassment, rumours or disinformation, data leaks, online identity theft and harmful content, officials said.

Complainants can provide details of what happened, when it occurred and the extent of damage, along with screenshots, images, documents or links to relevant websites and social media accounts.

Once a complaint is submitted, the system will automatically generate a unique complaint ID, which complainants can use to track the progress of their case, including its verification status and resolution stage, officials said.

Under the process, a designated official at the upazila level will first verify the complaint and may seek additional information from the complainant if required. If the matter cannot be resolved at the upazila level, it will be sent to the district level, officials explained.

Complex cases or those of national significance will be forwarded directly to the National Cyber Security Agency for technical analysis and necessary action, following a process of reporting, verification, analysis, escalation, response, monitoring and resolution.

As planned, the National Security Intelligence (NSI), the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and other law enforcement agencies will receive tiered access to view system summaries, statistics, and trends, which officials said would support integrated risk assessment, data-driven decision-making, and stronger national-level cybersecurity oversight.