They argue reforms will be ineffective without a local presence and that Bangladesh should follow international models to curb online misinformation and cybercrime by requiring platform accountability within the country.

The discussion highlights penalties and regulatory effectiveness seen in Europe and Australia, where platforms face fines and tighter oversight for harmful content.

Current Bangladeshi regulation cannot directly remove or block social-media content; the BTRC can only request platform operators, with responses often slow or inadequate.

As a result, the regulatory framework leaves harm unaddressed and Bangladesh remains vulnerable due to noncompliance and delayed action.

Home Minister signals potential legal amendments to compel tech companies to remove harmful content within a set timeframe and to bolster cyber security laws, including addressing AI-generated misinformation.

The piece notes that freedom of expression and public discourse are being harmed by social media misuse, including misinformation, character assassination, and cybercrime.

This absence of local jurisdiction contributes to a severe freedom-of-expression challenge amid social-media misuse.

Policymakers advocate mandating major platforms to set up offices in Bangladesh, a model used by several countries to enforce compliance, curb misinformation, and apply Bangladeshi law.

Experts contend that without local offices, Bangladeshi law cannot effectively reach overseas spread of misinformation, so platforms must establish local offices to fall under Bangladeshi law and improve accountability.

The article argues that Bangladesh lacks effective cybercrime laws and local platform oversight, hindering regulatory control over major platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X.

Bangladesh has a large online user base—over 100 million internet users, about 76 million on Facebook and 70 million on YouTube—with substantial platform revenues but limited local enforcement.

Despite a massive user base and revenues, Bangladesh lacks local offices and enforceable jurisdiction over these platforms.