The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has shortlisted seven firms for internet content filtering. Officials concerned said the telecom regulator took the move after some content of social networking sites created controversy countrywide.
The BTRC in early April called interested software firms to deliver the solution for removing unwanted content from the cyber space.
Of nine proposals, the telecom regulator shortlisted the seven firms — Base Technologies, Perky Global, Ezzy Communication, Panacea System, Infra Builders, IT Consultant Ltd and Semptian International for the job.
BTRC officials said the main job of the selected firms would be to filter certain content on the internet considered as harmful to national unity, derogatory to religious beliefs, obscene and morally inappropriate.
They said in some recent events some users uploaded content on blogs and social networking sites, including Facebook and Tweeter which hurt religious beliefs of many.
At the same time, some groups are involved in spreading anti-national propaganda and provoking violence through social networking sites which is dangerous for the people, they said.
The BTRC officials also said the anti-government content spread by people in cyber space was also a crucial consideration for the government to go for such move.
The selected firms will set up software at International Internet Gateways to filter those content following recommendations of the authorities concerned.
They said the software solution would handle traffic through the IIG operators for this purpose without blocking normal functioning of the internet.
‘Currently we don’t have any mechanism to block a single content on a web site. So, in a recent case when the Google authorities denied removing a controversial video from YouTube we had to block the entire web site for local users,’ said a BTRC official.
After the system comes into operation the BTRC will be able to filter specific content of a web site if it is harmful which will help other users carry their regular works, he said.
The commission will now call the firms soon to begin the next evaluation process as per government rules, he said.
The International Telecommunication Union, which operates under the United Nations, proposed a global system that would allow state control over the internet in a meeting at Dubai in December.
-With New Age input
