Govt to stop telcos post video content on social media

The government will stop mobile telecom operators posting video contents on social media, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud say, in a move aimed to boost TV revenues from commercials.

"Television advertisement is declining because of social media. Contents created by the mobile phone operators are being released on Facebook,” he said at a roundtable organised by the Broadcast Journalist Center at Kakrail Press Institute in Dhaka on Thursday.

“They have been given licences only for providing voice call services. They are not allowed to create video contents and post them on social media. ”

A Facebook delegation has visited Bangladesh. “We had a discussion with them about the issue. The government is working to stop it,” said Mahmud.

The government is also working on whether the national identity card can be made mandatory in opening a Facebook account in a move aimed at preventing the spread of false information through social media, he added.

The Broadcast Act is now at the law ministry for scrutiny. It will ensure legal protection of journalists’ jobs and other facilities once the Act is passed, said the information minister.