Desperate users in Bangladesh dodge government bar to link up to Facebook, Viber

Some of the popular calling and messaging apps blocked along with social network Facebook are partially accessible as users are finding ways around the government restrictions.

Facebook users had been trying to link up despite the bar since Wednesday imposed on grounds of state security.

Officials of some International Internet Gateway (IIG) companies told bdnews24.com they lacked the technology to fully seal off some of these apps, making their access possible.

When told that the blocked-off apps could still be accessed, telecoms regulatory authority BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said on Thursday: “Almost 90 percent has been blocked. Efforts are on plug the remaining gap.”

According to BTRC data, Bangladesh had about 50 million internet connections.

Mahmood said access to 10 networking sites including Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been cut.

A senior BTRC official told bdnews24.com on condition of anonymity that a directive had been issued to make Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Hangout, Tango, Line, and Utream.tv inaccessible.

He also hinted that other online networking platforms that were being used or had become popular in Bangladesh could also be sealed.

Despite the attempt to seal access, internet users were able to use the prohibited apps with the help of proxy servers or software even 30 hours after the government measure.

Several Viber users told bdnews24.com they were chatting over the internet.

Many Facebookers claimed they had little problem in using the social-network site in spite of the restrictions.

A senior IIG official, choosing to remain anonymous, told bdnews24.com, “Facebook, Viber and other apps use dynamic IPs, making it impossible to shut them off fully.”

Bangladesh experienced an internet blackout on Wednesday, two hours after the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and BNP stalwart Salauddin Quader Chowdhury seeking a review of their death sentences.

Websites remained inaccessible from 1pm to 2.30pm.

The internet was restored after that, but several social networking sites and apps could not be opened.

State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim announced some time later that Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been blocked because of security reasons.

The government had said earlier that militants were using these sites to network among themselves.

And police had said it was becoming difficult to track down militants because they had taken to using these messaging services more than mobile phones to coordinate their activities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had said at a press conference on Nov 8 following the murder of two foreign nationals and the attacks on police checkpoints that militants were carrying their activities with the help of various social websites and apps.

She indicated the government planned to introduce temporary curbs on certain apps and the internet to cut the militants’ communication and funding channels.

Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal said on Thursday the restrictions were temporary. They would be withdrawn once the ‘situation changed’, he said.