The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Tuesday passed the Cyber Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aiming to ensure the swift removal of harmful and defamatory AI-generated content from social media platforms.
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam moved the bill which was unanimously passed by voice vote in the House with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir-Bikram, in the chair.
Before endorsing the law, opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami lawmakers Shahjahan Chowdhury, M Abdul Gafur, Zahirul Islam, GM Nazrul Islam, Amir Hamza and Independent lawmakers Rumeen Farhana, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal urged the house to send the bill to the review committee and seeking for public opinion and then rejected by voice votes.
While placing the bill, the ICT minister said the proposed amendments would require international technology platforms, including Meta, to remove disputed content within a specified timeframe.
He said the amendments would update definitions of misinformation and defamation and introduce stricter penalties for offenders.
The minister said neighboring countries already have legal provisions requiring platforms like Meta to remove content within 24 hours, while Bangladesh existing laws do not include such enforcement measures.
Under the law, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and other authorized agencies would also be empowered to block content and request user data from platforms.
Earlier on June 27, the House sent the draft law to the parliamentary Standing Committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry for scrutiny and submitted a report before the House within the next three days.
bd-pratidin/GR
