Nobel Laureate Yunus Urges Meta to Combat Disinformation in Bangladesh
DHAKA, BANGLADESH – Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has issued a strong call to action to Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to intensify its efforts in combating the spread of disinformation and hate speech within Bangladesh. Professor Yunus emphasized the potential for even seemingly minor instances of misinformation to escalate into significant social unrest, given the nation’s dense population and complex social fabric. This urgent plea comes amid growing concerns about the role of social media platforms in amplifying harmful content, particularly in the lead-up to the upcoming general elections scheduled for next year.
During a meeting held at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, Professor Yunus conveyed his concerns directly to Simon Milner, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for the Asia-Pacific region, and Ruzan Sarwar, Public Policy Manager. He stressed the critical need for Meta to develop robust mechanisms to counter disinformation and promote responsible online discourse. "This (disinformation) is a big problem. You must find a way to fight it," Professor Yunus stated emphatically, highlighting the potential for deliberate dissemination of false information to destabilize the nation.
Responding to Professor Yunus’s concerns, Milner assured the Chief Adviser of Meta’s commitment to working closely with the interim government and other stakeholders to address the issue of disinformation. He emphasized Meta’s ongoing engagement with Bangladeshi authorities and human rights organizations to develop effective strategies for countering harmful online content, particularly in the context of the upcoming elections. Milner also pointed to the company’s dedicated team for Bangladesh, established five years ago, as evidence of its ongoing commitment to the country.
While acknowledging the potential of Meta’s platforms to facilitate business growth and connect communities, Professor Yunus also cautioned against the potential dangers they pose if ethical standards are not rigorously maintained. He underlined the importance of responsible platform governance to mitigate the risks of misinformation and hate speech. The Chief Adviser’s call for increased vigilance comes at a time of escalating global concern about the impact of social media on democratic processes and societal harmony.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, further underscored the need for enhanced Bangla language capabilities within Meta’s AI systems. He argued that the current heavy reliance on English-language models limits the effectiveness of content moderation efforts in Bangladesh, where Bengali is the primary language. This concern was echoed during a subsequent meeting between Meta officials and representatives from Bangladesh’s ICT Ministry.
The ICT Ministry, drawing on recent research, urged Meta to invest more significantly in Bengali language-based Large Language Models (LLMs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, particularly those capable of sentiment analysis. They also stressed the importance of increasing the number of human reviewers proficient in Bengali to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of content moderation. Furthermore, the Ministry called for the establishment of local cache servers and edge routers to improve service efficiency, optimize bandwidth usage, and enhance the protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Representatives from the Bangladesh Police and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) underscored the need for Meta to expedite the process of removing harmful content and to improve its proactive response to threats, crimes, misinformation, and incitement to violence.