Minister Tarana writes to Facebook proposing discussion

Tarana Halim has written to Facebook authorities conveying her wish to discuss a gamut of issues.

The state minister for posts and telecommunications sent an email to the social networking site through the Posts and Telecommunications Division.
 
The email was sent on Monday, she told bdnews24.com.
 
Tarana Halim said she had pointed out the adverse effects of Facebook’s misuse in Bangladesh.
 
“Facebook doesn’t accept that there are many things considered defamatory in Bangladesh. They also often want a case to be filed when someone complains,” Tarana Halim said.
 
“They do not take complaints into cognizance. We’ll have to make them understand Bangladesh’s social context,” she said.   
 
The minister also said she had written that Facebook should consider “protecting its goodwill in Bangladesh, where it has around 30 million users”.
 
She said the issues to be discussed would be fixed after getting a reply.   
 
“We plan to sign a deal after the talks in consultation with ministries concerned,” she added. 
 
Facebook, its messenger app and some other communication apps are currently closed in Bangladesh because of security reasons.
 
Tarana Halim said there was no link between the letter and the closure.
 
“We’ll restore it (communication) once we get the green light from the home ministry,” she said.