Facebook ban temporary
Failure of experts in removing links of 'objectionable images' prompted govt to block the site
The government blocked access to Facebook after its technical experts failed to remove links to satiric images of national leaders from the site. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Saturday asked the country's two International Internet Gateway (IIG) service providers to block the website as the links to the images could not be removed.(The Daily Star)
"BTRC engineers tried in vain to block access to the links to the pictures. The website [Facebook] had to be blocked," said Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose.
BTRC with the help of IIG service providers tried to block the contents by using DPI (deep packet inspection) in data handlers -- a method similar to applying a filter to the server to block unwanted contents. But it did not work.
An official of Mango Telecom, one of the two IIG service providers, said the links were "technically smart" and reappeared on Facebook despite repeated attempts to block them.
The two IIG service providers tried to contact US-based Cisco, which provides them with services and equipment, to find a solution. But they did not receive any feedback from Cisco.
The BTRC in a letter to the Facebook authority on Saturday evening requested it to remove the links from the site. "I am instructed to contact Facebook, Inc. management on behalf of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to resolve some groups issue which seems to be offending the citizens of Bangladesh," said the letter signed by a BTRC official.
"The groups have posted defamatory contents, mostly pictures of our National and Spiritual leaders. We have already initiated a process to block the entire site [facebook.com], since blocking of the partial links for the groups have not been a success here in Bangladesh," the letter said.
High-ups of the two IIG service providers hoped the site would be back by Monday or Tuesday once the images are removed.
Many Facebookers expressed disappointment at the government decision, terming it undemocratic.They said the decision came from a government that assumed power with a dream of having "Digital Bangladesh" by 2021.
If any offensive material is posted on the site, an option is there to get it removed by the Facebook authority, they said. The government could have got the unwanted contents removed instead of blocking the site.
Human rights and student organisations expressed resentment and concern over the ban on the site. They called the move "a violation to the right to freedom of speech" and urged the government to lift the ban immediately.
Students of Dhaka University also brought out a procession protesting the government decision.Aktaruzzaman Manju, president of Bangladesh Internet Service Providers, termed the decision "awkward."
There are so many ways to block unwanted sites, he added.The government blocked access to Facebook on Saturday evening after satiric images of Prophet Muhammad (SM) and national leaders were uploaded on the site. A person was arrested on charge of "spreading malice and insulting the country's leaders" through upload of the images.
Bangladesh is the second Muslim majority nation to have blocked access to Facebook after Pakistan invoked a similar ban on the site for "offensive contents".Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose said the website was used to taint people's character and national values.
Some newspapers even published those pictures and gave links for the readers to see them on the web, Sunil said."This is a disgrace to the nation," he added.
"BTRC engineers tried in vain to block access to the links to the pictures. The website [Facebook] had to be blocked," said Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose.
BTRC with the help of IIG service providers tried to block the contents by using DPI (deep packet inspection) in data handlers -- a method similar to applying a filter to the server to block unwanted contents. But it did not work.
An official of Mango Telecom, one of the two IIG service providers, said the links were "technically smart" and reappeared on Facebook despite repeated attempts to block them.
The two IIG service providers tried to contact US-based Cisco, which provides them with services and equipment, to find a solution. But they did not receive any feedback from Cisco.
The BTRC in a letter to the Facebook authority on Saturday evening requested it to remove the links from the site. "I am instructed to contact Facebook, Inc. management on behalf of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to resolve some groups issue which seems to be offending the citizens of Bangladesh," said the letter signed by a BTRC official.
"The groups have posted defamatory contents, mostly pictures of our National and Spiritual leaders. We have already initiated a process to block the entire site [facebook.com], since blocking of the partial links for the groups have not been a success here in Bangladesh," the letter said.
High-ups of the two IIG service providers hoped the site would be back by Monday or Tuesday once the images are removed.
Many Facebookers expressed disappointment at the government decision, terming it undemocratic.They said the decision came from a government that assumed power with a dream of having "Digital Bangladesh" by 2021.
If any offensive material is posted on the site, an option is there to get it removed by the Facebook authority, they said. The government could have got the unwanted contents removed instead of blocking the site.
Human rights and student organisations expressed resentment and concern over the ban on the site. They called the move "a violation to the right to freedom of speech" and urged the government to lift the ban immediately.
Students of Dhaka University also brought out a procession protesting the government decision.Aktaruzzaman Manju, president of Bangladesh Internet Service Providers, termed the decision "awkward."
There are so many ways to block unwanted sites, he added.The government blocked access to Facebook on Saturday evening after satiric images of Prophet Muhammad (SM) and national leaders were uploaded on the site. A person was arrested on charge of "spreading malice and insulting the country's leaders" through upload of the images.
Bangladesh is the second Muslim majority nation to have blocked access to Facebook after Pakistan invoked a similar ban on the site for "offensive contents".Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose said the website was used to taint people's character and national values.
Some newspapers even published those pictures and gave links for the readers to see them on the web, Sunil said."This is a disgrace to the nation," he added.
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