The Bangladesh Government on 18 November 2015 blocked popular social media platform Facebook and online messaging and calling services WhatsApp and Viber on security grounds. Following this, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) issued a letter to different telecom operators and all Internet Service Providers asking them to stop the services immediately.
Background:-
- The order came following the Supreme Court verdict of death penalty to war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.
- As per Dhaka Metropolitan Police, services were blocked as criminals often use these services to plan and carry out subversive acts.
- In the letter, BTRC asked the telecom operators and others to prevent access to Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp services with immediate effect until further notice.
- Following the government’s directive, the International Internet Gateway (IIG) and mobile phone operators along with International Territorial Cable (ITC) companies on November 18 noon temporarily shut down several online messaging and calling apps, including whatapps and viber, as well as social networking site facebook and facebook messenger.
The blocking of social media is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh. On 18 January 2015, the BTRC blocked WhatsApp, Viber, Mypeople, Line and Tango across the country for security reasons. The apps were unblocked after four days.
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Which technology solutions provider has signed an agreement to acquire Bengaluru-headquartered Ecron Acunova (EA), a leading clinical research organisation founded by D. A Prasanna, for INR 115 crore?
