Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, announced on Sunday that the government is contemplating temporarily blocking access to social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, if they fail to adhere to government directives aimed at curbing the dissemination of misinformation.

Following a committee meeting at the Secretariat, Minister Haque addressed the media, underscoring the government's concerns regarding the behavior of major social media platforms. He emphasized that Facebook, YouTube, and Google have shown reluctance to comply with the government's recommendations on various issues.

Attributing the challenge to the absence of their headquarters in Bangladesh, Minister Haque expressed the difficulty faced by the government in combating rumors and controlling cybercrimes prevalent on these platforms.

He outlined the course of action, stating that the media giants will be officially notified of their non-compliance. Should they persist in disregarding government directives, the authorities may resort to publishing advertisements in newspapers, explicitly highlighting their non-compliance.

Minister Haque clarified that public notices will be served to the platforms, ensuring transparency and precluding accusations of infringing on their rights. This preemptive measure aims to absolve the government of any responsibility in the event of subsequent actions taken against the platforms.