ISPR warns of fake Bangladesh military accounts, sites before election

The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate, or ISPR, has issued a warning against ‘fake’ sites and accounts using the identity of the Bangladesh army to spread false information and propaganda ahead of the 11th parliamentary election.

Various fake websites, Facebook accounts and YouTube channels have been set up using the name of the Bangladesh Armed Forces and are spreading ‘various lies’ and ‘propaganda’ in an attempt to damage the reputation of the army, the ISPR said in a statement on Monday.

It also included a list of the military’s official websites and accounts:

 

Though the ISPR website has web links to the armed forces sites, it does not show their social media accounts, nor does it have buttons leading to them. It does, however, have links to the ISPR's own Facebook account and YouTube channel.

At a discussion organised by the 14th Independent Engineering Brigade and the Army War Games Centre in June, bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi had suggested that the army “open a Facebook page or a Twitter account and get these accounts verified so that rumour mongers can be kept at bay.

Khalidi also suggested the army interact with various stakeholders and get critical information in “times of crises”.