Digital Campaign Targets Bangladesh Protest Archives on Facebook

A sophisticated digital campaign has been systematically targeting community archivists in Bangladesh who document the July 2024 Student-People’s Mass Uprising, an investigation has revealed. The attacks exploit weaknesses in Meta’s copyright enforcement system to remove crucial documentation of human rights violations and historical records from Facebook pages.

The targeted groups serve as informal but vital digital archives of this pivotal moment in Bangladesh’s history. Much of this content is currently being used as evidence in proceedings at the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal addressing mass violence linked to the uprising.

“Facebook has become our primary platform to reach the public with documentation of human rights violations,” said Saleh Mahmud Rayhan, co-founder of the July Revolutionary Alliance (JRA), in a recent interview. For many young, self-organized communities in Bangladesh operating without formal training or institutional funding, Facebook functions as default infrastructure for documentation and outreach.

The JRA’s main Facebook page, with approximately 547,000 followers, was suspended on February 15, 2026, after Meta cited multiple copyright violations. However, investigation reveals that those submitting copyright complaints were not the rightful content owners. On March 22, JRA’s backup page was also suspended on similar grounds, though later restored after multiple appeals.

The Red July, another community archivist group documenting the uprising, lost two Facebook pages under similar circumstances. Sajib Hossain, an administrator for the group, reported that their pages—one with 300,000 followers and another with 125,000—simultaneously received between eight and ten copyright strikes, leading to immediate suspension.

“We had no time to respond or implement any protective measures,” Hossain said.

The investigation found these claims do not constitute legitimate copyright disputes. Instead, individuals create fake email accounts to submit false third-party complaints that Meta appears to accept without sufficient verification, resulting in content removal. Automated appeal mechanisms have provided limited effective remedies.

Both organizations report receiving explicit threats from cyber groups aligned with political actors connected to ongoing human rights trials. These threats often demand removal of posts related to political figures, including former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A Facebook page named “Network-71” publicly declared intentions to remove content from The Red July. Similarly, accounts using the names “Mahir Chowdhury” and “Nadim Chowdhury” issued threats targeting posts about the July 2024 uprising.

Shortly after such warnings, waves of false copyright claims are submitted from anonymous email accounts targeting the same content. In several instances, individuals publicly announced intended takedowns, issued threats, and later shared screenshots celebrating successful removals.

Rayhan described how one account sent direct messages warning that specific posts had to be removed or the entire page would be taken down. Within two days, approximately seven posts were targeted with false claims. Meta accepted these claims, removed the posts, and suspended the page.

JRA representatives later contacted individuals whose names had been used in the complaints, who confirmed they had not submitted any copyright claims, suggesting identity misuse through fabricated email accounts.

The use of copyright claims to suppress political opponents is not new in Bangladesh. In 2022, independent news site Netra News reported that groups linked to the then-Awami League-led government were involved in hacking critics’ Facebook accounts. Around the same period, separate reporting documented how a hacker group took down Amar Desh Online through false copyright claims.

Recent incidents suggest these tactics are now targeting human rights groups, investigative journalists, and fact-checking initiatives. The Dissent, a Bangladesh-based investigative platform, has had several reports removed from Facebook after being flagged for alleged copyright violations, despite being original content.

Qadaruddin Shishir, The Dissent’s editor, noted that complaints originated from unverifiable email addresses but were nonetheless accepted by Meta without meaningful scrutiny.

These fraudulent tactics have affected a broad spectrum of voices, including the former interim government’s official advisory pages, social media accounts of the Head of Government, and memorial tributes to slain activist Osman Hadi.

Several coordinated groups have openly claimed responsibility for these takedowns. Groups identifying as “Crack Platoon, Bangladesh Cyber Force,” “Dark Cyber Gang,” and “Qawmi Cyber Expert Team” have publicly stated they use copyright reporting tools to remove pages and accounts.

These incidents highlight significant weaknesses in Meta’s copyright enforcement processes. The lack of effective verification allows coordinated actors to misuse reporting systems to target activists, archivists, and journalists.

Without stronger safeguards—including improved verification, greater transparency in decision-making, and accessible appeal mechanisms—these practices are likely to continue, with broader implications for digital rights and public-interest documentation in Bangladesh.