Bangladesh Advocates for Regional Cooperation and Fact-Checking Platforms to Combat Disinformation

Bangladesh Calls for Regional Cooperation to Combat Disinformation

Regional cooperation with shared verification networks and truth mechanisms is essential in fighting against misinformation and disinformation, according to Apurba Jahangir, Deputy Press Secretary to Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser.

“The fight against disinformation can no longer be waged alone. We need regional cooperation, not in sentiment, but in structure,” Jahangir said while presenting a paper at the 10th China-South and Southeast Asian Think Tank Forum in Kunming, China.

In his presentation titled “Securing Truth: Regional Cooperation and the Fight Against Disinformation in Bangladesh,” Jahangir questioned why regional organizations like BRICKS, SAARC, and BIMSTEC that have established trade mechanisms couldn’t also create truth mechanisms.

The scale of the problem in Bangladesh is substantial. Between January and September this year, independent fact-checkers identified 2,754 pieces of verified misinformation—approximately 10 false stories daily. Last year’s figures were even higher at 2,919. Of particular concern, 148 pieces originated from outside Bangladesh’s borders, primarily from 72 southeast regional outlets spreading distortions about the country roughly every two and a half days.

Jahangir emphasized that misinformation has real-world consequences. He cited an incident in May when a rumor about a madrasah teacher allegedly desecrating scripture led to mob violence, police attacks, and nearly cost a man his life.

“For every lie, there is a consequence. A market shutters. A protest begins. A rumor turns into a riot,” he noted, adding that “what is most dangerous is not the falsehood itself—it is how quickly people want to believe it.”

Since Bangladesh’s interim government took office on August 8 last year, it has faced numerous misinformation challenges, including a fabricated resignation letter of the Chief Adviser that was shared thousands of times before corrections could be made.

The interim government has developed a five-pillar strategy to combat disinformation: a National Fact-Check Coordination Unit connecting verification bodies free from political interference; curriculum reform to introduce fact-checking and digital literacy into education; public campaigns utilizing television and community media to teach verification; a legal help desk supporting victims of online misinformation; and a volunteer network of “Digital First Responders” trained to flag falsehoods in real time.

Jahangir stressed these measures are “not tools of censorship but tools of trust,” and emphasized that responsibility must be shared among those who produce misinformation, those who share it without verification, and the platform owners where this content circulates.

Bangladesh is seeking partnerships with neighboring countries including India, China, Pakistan, and Southeast Asian nations to develop a shared regional database of verified claims, AI-assisted translation and detection tools in regional languages, and a Regional Media Integrity Charter—a mutual commitment to factual reporting during elections and crises.

With Bangladesh approaching elections in February, Jahangir highlighted the timeliness of these efforts. “Securing truth is not a government project. It is a civic act, a regional act, a human act,” he said.

The growing recognition of misinformation as a transnational challenge comes as social media platforms and digital information flows increasingly transcend national borders. Experts have long warned that uncoordinated national approaches to combating disinformation are insufficient in today’s interconnected media environment.

“If modernization is the road ahead, then truth is the ground beneath that road. And if that ground erodes, no bridge will stand for long,” Jahangir concluded.